A child's eyes
by Annjirika
Summary: LY The Traverse Town gang fights to save their beloved hotel, while Leon and Yuffie fight their feelings for each other. Things get complicated when they start taking care of a homeless child. Can this girl bring the bickering pair together?
1. Out of the rain

_A/N: Disclaimer: To save a lot of time and patience, I don't own it._

_In Kingdom Hearts, Leon was a cold person yes, but he didn't stop speaking altogether. He actually spoke a lot. So if it seems like he talks a lot in this fic its because I always thought he did talk a lot, just was very ..._

_z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z  
_  
"Hey Squall!"

"Leon."

"Psh whatever." The young ninja rolled her eyes as she nearly jogged to keep up with the long strides of the gunblade wielder. "Aerith wanted me to tell you that she wants you to meet us at the Café tonight. Apparently its some big important meeting or whatever. Who knows? Anyway, I hear it's about some newcomers. You know, it's just been so long since we've seen a new face it may be nice. You think it could be?"

"Yuffie is there a point?" Squall grumbled, picking up his pace. Why couldn't she just leave him alone for a while? Sure he didn't mind having her around most of the time but her constant chatter was grating on his nerves.

_Curse of being 17._ He thought, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye. She looked irritated.

"I told you the point. Anyway, it's at 6. I suggest you be there. Aerith might not be so lenient."

"Thanks."

Yuffie may have taken the 'thanks' as a real show of gratitude, but she couldn't miss the unmistakable sarcasm lacing the 6-letter word. She didn't dwell on it too much. It was just the way he was. The waterway was in view; Yuffie figured that was where he was headed. Sure enough he stepped down into the water and walked under the metal opening, drawing his gunblade.

Yuffie paused, peering in after him. "Aw forget it." She mumbled, tossing her scarf over her shoulder. She was smart enough to know Squall wasn't in the best mood; therefore if she valued her appendages it would do her good not to mess with him.

Then again, when was the last time she'd seen him in a good mood? The day Sora locked Traverse Town. That was the most recent day she had recorded in her memory that Squall actually smiled. Course, it was more of a smirk, but with Squall, you couldn't ask much.

With true ninja-like grace she caught hold of her balcony railing and pulled herself up and over. The door had been left unlocked, luckily. Yuffie had left her key in her dresser drawer this morning. Or...night rather. It was always night in Traverse Town. This night was darker than usual, every once in a while thunder was heard and lightning was spotted. A storm was brewing.

The bed was unmade as usual, but Yuffie didn't bother to make it. It was a waste of time in her opinion. People wasted most of their life sleeping as it was; there was not enough time to keep everything organized.

That was the only thing it seemed Squall and Yuffie ever agreed on. Their room always looked like a twister had come through. There were clothes everywhere; on the bed, on chairs, over the dresser, slung across the floor. There was even a sock dangling haphazardly from the grandfather clock.

Then there were books and papers covering the areas where the clothes didn't. All flat surfaces were littered with coffee cups, take-out boxes, trash, snickers wrappers (her biggest weakness), empty and full potions, elixirs, bandages, etc.

It didn't bother either of them very much since all they used the room for was sleep and showering. Yuffie remembered one time when Aerith had made the mistake of entering and took in the disaster. Yuffie had gotten a big laugh out of her expression. Her and Cloud's room was spotless. Aerith was a neat freak. It didn't really surprise Yuffie. People just kinda expected her to be. Although it got increasingly annoying when she constantly nagged Yuffie about picking up. "The floor is the biggest shelf in your room." Yuffie would always quote.

Aerith would then roll her eyes and mutter something about being 'impossible'. Yuffie, with a sudden craving for a snickers, dug around room until she found some spare munnies from her fights with the heartless. She was immensely proud of herself for 1) earning enough to last her this long and 2) not spending it all at one time.

Of course she still worked around, odd jobs here and there for Cid or any other shop owners. Sometimes the old carpenter, Geppetto, would pay her to baby-sit Pinocchio. Needless to say, she earned enough for her keep.

She pocketed the munny and started out. The hallway was uncharacteristically dim. This coming storm must have been anticipated as a big one. Yuffie re-adjusted her scarf, preparing to hurry. She definitely didn't want to get caught in the rain.

Despite the inclement weather, the Café was still alive and buzzing with customers. It had become normal for Traverse Town to be populated. After the heartless were cast back into Kingdom Hearts, people grew braver, venturing out into the world. Thanks to Cid, people could successfully travel through the barriers separating the worlds. Sora had even been by to visit once or twice.

Despite this freedom, it was still rare for anyone to leave or come to Traverse Town, most still afraid of what they didn't know.

"Yuffie!" A familiar voice called. She glanced in the direction of the speaker. Aerith. Yuffie waved, then pointed to the bar, signaling she would be over in a minute. Aerith waved her on.

After ordering a coffee and snicker, Yuffie pushed through the mess of chairs, over to her friend. "Everyone is here awfully early." She observed, plopping down in a chair.

"Yeah they've moved it up because of the storm."

"Should I go get Squall then?" Yuffie asked, sipping the coffee. It burned her tongue. "Ow. Shit." She grumbled, sitting the drink back down.

Aerith shot her a look, obviously not approving of Yuffie's choice of words. "I think so. I need to go wake up Cloud."

Yuffie snorted. "What a lazy bum."

Aerith smiled. "We should hurry, before this thunderstorm starts."

Yuffie agreed, but looked longingly at her food. "Oh well." She pocketed her snickers, planning to save it. The wind was picking up outside the Café and Yuffie wished she'd put on a pair of pants. It was getting cool.

Her pace quickened when she reached third district. She dreaded going into the freezing water but figured the sooner she did it the sooner it was over. She sat her coffee on the ground before going in. At first the water took her breath away, but she grew insensitive to it.

She could hear Squall's gunblade scraping the rocks, and she could hear the clinking of his many chains.

"Squallie?" She called, using the name he hated dearly. A loud explosion sounded, echoing in the cavern and causing Yuffie to cover her ears. Squall must have dropped the gunblade.

"_Damn _it Yuffie. IT'S LEON!"

She bit her lip to keep from laughing. She could make out his large figure striding towards her. "I'm sorry I didn't know I would startle you so much." She managed to say in a very sincere voice.

Squall ignored her, walking past her and out of the waterway. She followed like a lost puppy, giggling softly.

Unfortunately, he heard her. "What are you laughing at? It's not funny. I could have hurt you!" He exploded, turning to glare at her.

Yuffie continued smiling. "Didn't know you cared Squallie."

"I don't. Damn it." He turned and stalked off, knocking over her coffee as he went.

"Aw Squall that was mine!" Yuffie grumbled, glancing at her spilled coffee forlornly. "I hope you plan to pay me back!"

"Leon." He said instantly, nearly drown out by the thunder which in turn reminded Yuffie of the reason she was sent to find him in the first place.

"Oh hey. The meetings been moved up. We'll be late if we don't hurry." She said, catching up with the sullen man. "What's eatin' you? You're grumpier than normal."

"Nothing. Let's just hurry." Squall grumbled, changing his direction. Yuffie felt accomplished; he'd chosen to go to the meeting.

"Alright. I still don't believe you ya know." She chirped, not really expecting an answer. She didn't get it.

The rain was starting to fall, and they were still in third district. By the time they reached the doors it was pouring. Yuffie's hair and clothes were plastered to her face and body. She could see Squall was no different.

"Maybe we should go change first!" Yuffie yelled over the deafening torrent of rain. She could see Squall nod. Yuffie leapt up onto a bench and started to kick herself over the wall when something under the bench caught her eye.

A bundle...possibly a dog? "Wait!" She yelled and Squall paused. She got to her knees, looking underneath the wooden slats. The water dripped into her eyes and she had to squint, but it was clear this was no animal.

A little girl.

"Hey!" She yelled, poking the child. She prayed it wasn't dead. It moved slightly, and a head appeared out the end of her soaked cocoon.

"Come on." Squall yelled suddenly. Yuffie felt the storm grow stronger, the uneven beating of the rain on her back felt like needles. She reached under and pulled out the little girl, who looked to be 5 or 6. Yuffie expected kicking or screaming or at the least crying, but the girl merely stood up and followed the two to safety.

_z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z_

"Do you have to do that?" Squall snapped when Yuffie squeezed the water out of her hair onto a pile of wet towels.

"Yes." Yuffie replied matter-of-factly. Squall rolled his eyes.

Yuffie, now in dry clothes, sat on the bed where the young girl sat wrapped in a towel. "Hi sweetie. Can you tell me your name?" Yuffie asked gently, worried she might frighten the girl.

The girl looked at Yuffie with big brown eyes. "Of course I can tell you my name. It's Haya." She said. It was the first time Yuffie had heard her speak and she was surprised to find the girl's voice was strong. "Now." She said with the same soft voice Yuffie had used. "Could you tell me who you are?"

Out of the corner of her eye, Yuffie saw Squall raise an eyebrow. There was a genuine amusement in his normally frigid blue eyes. Haya already had more power than she realized.

Yuffie grinned, already liking the kid. "I'm Yuffie. And that's Squall." She jerked her thumb in his general direction.

"I'm Leon." It was without fail, the quickest he'd ever said it.

"Nyah." Yuffie stuck her tongue out at him childishly before turning her attention back to Haya. "So how about telling us what you were doing under that bench?" She had dropped the Aerith act and became more like herself.

"It was raining so I got under the closest thing I could find." She answered plainly, looking around the room. Before Yuffie could respond Haya continued. "Your room is-" She paused, her eyes falling on the sock suspended by the clock. "Interesting."

Yuffie grinned. "Interesting as in..." She prodded.

"As in 'did the storm hit in here too'?"

Yuffie laughed, pleased by this girl's witty intellect. "How old are you exactly?"

"8 and a half." She answered, smiling.

Yuffie raised her eyebrows. "Really?" Haya didn't look any older than 6 or 7.

Haya scowled. "Yeah I get that reaction a lot." She grumbled, using the towel to wring her copper colored hair dry. She glanced at Squall. "I notice you don't talk much."

Squall regarded her seriously for a moment. "Yeah." He finally said. "Not a whole lot to say."

Yuffie was doubly surprised he didn't snap at her. _Well, _she reasoned. _Haya was only a child after all. He couldn't be **that **heartless_. Yuffie didn't really know what to do next. She'd have to tell Aerith...Aerith! "Oh no. The meeting!" She moaned, putting her head in her hands. Aerith would kill them.

"We had good reason. Aerith will live." Squall told her, knowing exactly what she was thinking.

Yuffie sighed, knowing he was right but still not wanting to admit it. She stood up, looking at the small room. "I'm going to go. I wanted to go to this anyway."

"No." He said quickly. "If you do you'll end up sick."

"You don't care remember?" Yuffie spat. She blinked, unsure where that random burst of anger came from.

Squall stayed with a indifferent expression. "Whatever." He grumbled. "If you go then I go."

"That's stupid."

"What's stupid about it?"

"Well by your logic, we'd both be sick."

"You're impossible."

"You just know I'm right." Yuffie said smugly.

"Grrrr-damn it. Just forget it." He growled, rolling his eyes.

"Be back in a little while." Yuffie grinned and walked out.

Squall rolled his eyes. He realized Haya had been watching them and for some reason he wasn't aware of, she was smiling. "What?" He snarled.

Haya just grinned wider. "You _like _her."

Squall felt his jaw drop, much to his dismay. He quickly recovered. "You are sorely mistaken. I refuse to have this conversation with an 8 year old."

Haya sighed and shook her head before taking a deep breath. "You hide your feelings through anger and indifference. Every time you screw up and say something remotely caring you have to cover it up by being a bigger jackass than usual. This will not only confuse, but will push away the object of your affections when you feel ready to pursue a relationship with her." She finished, staring at him with big innocent eyes.

Squall stared at the girl. "Who the hell are you?" He finally managed to ask.

She laughed. "Hayamari. You can call me Haya."

_z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z_

_A/N: Chapter rewritten 1/2/05_


	2. Moving

A/N: There will be like, NO Squiffie until the end...muwhaha. Sorriness.  
  
()@() ~Nothing's ever what it seems In your life or in your dreams It don't make sense what can you do So I wont try makin sense of you~ ()@() ~Love just is//Hillary Duff  
  
Leon was right. I shouldn't have left the safety of our room. 'Psh. I'll jump up and down naked in the middle of First district before I'd admit out loud HE was right.' I thought, rolling my eyes. So much for dry clothes. I hadn't been in the typhoon for 10 seconds before I was soaked to the bone.  
  
Gawd it was cold. What happened to the warm morning? I pulled my scarf tighter around my neck, lowered my head against the wind and beating rain, and pushed forward. The Café was now in view, thankfully.  
  
I opened the door and slipped inside, audibly groaning as the much- anticipated warm air covered my drenched body. The entire audience turned to face me, including the speaker. I blushed fiercely, murmuring my apologies as I sank into the nearest available chair.  
  
Aerith whispered something to Cloud, who nodded and whispered something back. I watched as the flower girl navigated her way through the people, every once in a while whispering 'sorry' or 'excuse me'. When she finally made it to the back of the room she sank into the chair next to me.  
  
"Thank God I was beginning to worry about you. Look at you, completely soaked. I'll be surprised if you don't catch pneumonia." She whispered, smiling as she spoke. Always concerned, Aerith never failed.  
  
I smiled. "I wanted ta know what was goin' on. What'd I missed?"  
  
Aerith sighed and looked up at the speaker, Raidon Yasui. Yasui was a wealthy real estate salesman, tall and handsome. He -seemed- to be a good enough guy, but there was something about him, he had a rat-like quality. Two faces.  
  
"Not much. Mostly they've been welcoming the new couple." She said and pointed to a young pair in the front, sitting hand in hand. They didn't look to be any older than 20.  
  
"They wouldn't have children by any chance?" I asked doubtfully.  
  
Aerith giggled softly. "Of course not. They've just married."  
  
"Well did anyone come with them?"  
  
"No." Aerith looked at me strangely. "Is there something going on I should know about?"  
  
I had started to tell her about Haya when Yasui called for attention. "Hold on." I whispered.  
  
"Thanks you." Yasui smiled at all of them, seemingly making eye contact with them all. "I'd like to introduce the mayor of Traverse town, Mr. Gray Kato." There was polite applause as Kato stepped onto the makeshift stage.  
  
"Thanks you Raidon." He addressed Yasui. Yasui nodded and sat down. "Well." Kato spoke as he looked out at us. There was an uncomfortable shift in the audience. Kato was likeable and a general favorite around here, but something told me tonight, we wouldn't be quite as partial to him.  
  
"It has come to my attention that the hotel we currently have in second district is no longer being used as a hotel. According to Mr. Mehler, every room is being occupied by permanent residents." It took me a minute to remember that Mr. Mehler was the hotel manager. After living there so long, we learned to call him Mr. M.  
  
"At the rate Traverse Town is growing-" He winked at the couple. I rolled my eyes. "It may be in the town's best interest to tear down the hotel and build an apartment building in its place." The audience rippled with murmurs of agreement and refusal.  
  
Aerith and I looked at each other. "Can he do that?" I asked.  
  
Aerith bit her lip. "He could." The crowd ignored Kato's pleas for silence.  
  
"What about the people living there? Where will they live during the construction?" A voice called out. The muttering died down, waiting for an answer.  
  
"Mr. Yasui and I discussed this and he'd be willing to up the hotel occupants in houses in third district for the same fee as they are paying now, at least until apartment is finished."  
  
"And then what? We have to pay twice as much for smaller space?" I recognized Cloud's voice and looked over at Aerith in surprise. It wasn't like him to speak out in public.  
  
Kato glanced at Yasui for back up, but Yasui shrugged him on. "We assure this is for the best-" He began but no one was listening anymore, getting up and walking out. The meeting was unofficially over.  
  
Cloud walked through the crowd to us, his expression passive. "Lets get out of here." He muttered to Aerith. She agreed quietly. I was now half-dry and really didn't want to go back out in the rain. It had slowed from a violent hurricane to a normal shower.  
  
"Do you think they'd actually do it?" I asked as we hurried back to the hotel.  
  
Cloud glanced at me grimly. "They might."  
  
"You heard that crowd. Yasui and Kato will never get that to pass." Aerith argued, keeping her head down against the rain.  
  
"The idea might grow more popular as time goes on. Who knows, an apartment might actually be a good idea. It'd probably be bigger." I rationalized. It sounded like a good idea in my mind, but I really didn't want it to happen. The hotel had been my home for over a year.  
  
Cloud grunted in response. The hotel air was a warm welcome to the night's cool rain. I felt kinda bad as the water dripped onto the floor, creating puddles wherever I stood. I hurried to Leon's and my room, Aerith and Cloud following. I opened the door to find Leon staring out the window, his back toward us. Haya was asleep under a pile of clothes and blankets.  
  
"Hey Squall." I whispered.  
  
"Leon." He whispered back. I shook my head. Nowadays I only called him Squall to annoy him.  
  
"How long has she been out?" I asked instead of acknowledging his correction.  
  
Leon barely looked at Haya before grunting, "Not long."  
  
Aerith looked over my shoulder at the slumbering lump and gazed at me questioningly.  
  
"I meant to tell you earlier." I whispered. "That's why I was late. We found her."  
  
"Found her?"  
  
"Found her." I said.  
  
Aerith glanced at Cloud, then back at the girl. "Where'd you find her then?"  
  
"Out in the rain. She was under a bench of all places." I handed out the remaining towels and used my own to wring my hair dry.  
  
"Did she say where she lived? Or her name?" Cloud joined the whispering.  
  
"Haya. That's her name, but she didn't tell us where she lived. Maybe she's homeless. Why else would someone as young as her be out at night in the rain?"  
  
"I'm sure we would have seen or heard about a homeless family." Aerith whispered, bending down by the bed to look at her.  
  
"Maybe she doesn't have family. If not can we keep her?" I asked. I heard a loud 'thunk' from behind me. I glanced over my shoulder just in time to see Leon drop his head against the window again. Cloud rubbed his forehead tiredly, reminding me of my mother when she would catch me doing something I shouldn't have been doing.  
  
Aerith looked at me. "You're kidding. Right." She was almost smiling. "She's not a puppy Yuf."  
  
I shrugged. "You know what I meant."  
  
Aerith looked back at Haya. "Well, she's totally out right now. I guess we can question her in the morning. How old is she?"  
  
"8." I replied, glancing down at the girl myself. She really did look younger than she really was. And she was awfully thin. Maybe she really was homeless.  
  
Aerith straightened and walked back over to Cloud. "Well. I guess we'll go. If you guys need to somewhere to sleep," She gestured to Haya. "We've got a cot one of you can use."  
  
I nodded thanks, saying I'd probably be in later to get it. I shut the door after them, then turned to Leon.  
  
"So what're we gonna do?"  
  
"Go to bed."  
  
"Therein lies the problem. The bed wont fit three seeing as it barely fits two."  
  
"So I'll sleep on the cot." Leon shrugged.  
  
I exaggerated a gasp. "You OFFERED to sleep on the cot?" I crossed the room and stood on tiptoe to put my hand on his forehead.  
  
Leon glared at me and pulled away. "Fine I'll sleep on the bed."  
  
I held up my hands. "Oh no its fine. It was just strange to see you with such a... gentlemanly attitude."  
  
Leon opened his mouth to say something but shut it quickly, shaking his head and muttering. "Forget it."  
  
"What'd you want to say?"  
  
"Nothing."  
  
"Musta been something. You've got this red tint to your cheeks..."  
  
"I don't."  
  
"You do. See! There it is."  
  
"Whatever." He rolled his eyes, heading for the door. Halfway there he stumbled over a shoe hidden under shirt, but caught himself.  
  
I tried not to laugh but I couldn't help it. Leon glared at me again. I quickly shut up. I went into the bathroom to change, and when I emerged Leon had set up the extra cot and was sitting on it.  
  
"Something wrong?" I asked, leaning against the doorframe.  
  
He looked up. "No." He replied, grabbing his clothes and walking past me. I turned to speak but he shut the door in my face. I growled something obscene to him under my breath.  
  
I dumped the clothes into a pile on the floor, fixing the blankets. Haya rolled over, her arm falling across my side. I bit my lip, carefully pushing it back to her side.  
  
Very cautiously, I got in without shaking the bed too much. I'd just gotten comfortable when Haya rolled over again, this time almost on top of me. I looked down at her, sighing inaudibly. Maybe the cot was a better idea...  
  
"Haya." I whispered, poking her arm. She didn't move, still breathing rhythmically. "Haya." I whispered again, shaking her shoulder. She stopped breathing. I waited for her to move, but she didn't. She didn't start breathing again either.  
  
Worried, I pushed her shoulder a little harder. "Haya." I said in a normal voice. She suddenly took a deep, rattling breath and shot upright, coughing. I jerked back in surprise.  
  
"Hey...are you okay?"  
  
She nodded, still trying to catch her breath. "Sorry." She managed to choke. "Its nothing really."  
  
Leon appeared from out of the bathroom. "What's wrong with her?" He asked. He sounded as though he couldn't care less, like he was asking if the rain cleared up.  
  
"I'm not sure." I answered slowly, still apprehensive of the now still girl. "What was that?"  
  
"Nothing. I told you." Haya answered.  
  
"Didn't sound like nothing. Actually, it sounded more like you were dying." I argued, relieved.  
  
"Not exactly. It's a sleeping disorder. Apnea."  
  
"Apne-what?"  
  
"Apnea." She repeated, yawning. "I stopped breathing right?" I nodded. "For how long?"  
  
"About...well long enough to freak me out." I replied.  
  
"Its just something I've had since about a year ago. Its no big deal...really." She mumbled, closing her eyes. She looked very tired. "If I stop breathing again, I'll snap out of it."  
  
"What if you don't?"  
  
"I always do. Sorry if I snore...side effect..." She yawned again and rolled over. Obviously, this conversation was over.  
  
Leon turned out the lights and I heard him get into his makeshift bed.  
  
"Goodnight Squall." I said through the darkness.  
  
"Leon."  
  
I rolled my eyes and lay down to sleep. It seemed I had just drifted off when I heard a loud noise. My eyes snapped open. What in the world was...the sound came again. I recognized it as snoring. Haya.  
  
I stayed quiet, wondering if I should have tried to wake her...or would that cause another amniotic episode.  
  
'Apnea. Its APNEA you idiot.' I chuckled to myself. Amniotic. Haya's snoring grew louder. I wondered how someone so small could make that kind of noise. A few minutes later I heard Leon turn over and grumble.  
  
"You have GOT to be kidding."  
  
I stifled a giggle in my pillow, laughing even harder when I heard Leon sit up. I heard Leon growl something foul. There was the sound of a pillow being punched and a loud sigh. Both of us grew still again. Eventually I found myself able to ignore the snoring and began drifting off for a second time...  
  
@#&@#&@#&  
  
A few weeks later I was sitting in the Accessory shop with Cid. He was leaning against the counter, cleaning off the glass case that held the crystal. I could hear the moogles scurrying around upstairs, no doubt still synthesizing items.  
  
I sighed and began playing with my scarf, looking up at the ceiling. "Slow...tired...bored..." I grumbled. Cid glared at me out of the corner of his eye but didn't say anything.  
  
"You got anything I can do?" I asked, looking over at the older man.  
  
Cid straightened. "You can finish cleaning this...or sweep up the floor. I could use some firewood, it's behind the shop." He smirked.  
  
I rolled my eyes. "Yeah. THAT'S gonna happen." I snorted.  
  
"You asked." Cid shrugged, tossing the rag behind the counter. "Say, where's that brat at?" He inquired, referring to Haya.  
  
I shrugged. "I think she's with Aerith. And you only think she's a brat cause she's smarter than you."  
  
"Like hell she is." Cid muttered, then said in a normal voice, "Did she ever say who her parents were?"  
  
"Nope."  
  
"She's a smart one, that girl. Smartass is more like it." Cid shook his head. I nodded. Haya WAS a smart one. The couple, Mr. and Mrs. Aoki claimed they had no idea who she was, and she confirmed it. According to Haya, she had sneaked onboard the Aoki's ship without them knowing.  
  
Her reasoning was kept secret, much to my annoyance. Aerith agreed she would help take care of her until someone showed up looking for her or she decided to go home. Strangely enough, neither Leon nor I ever spoke of Haya's sleep disorder. I knew Haya appreciated it.  
  
I sighed. "Where's that broom?" I grumbled as I got to my feet. It was obvious I was desperate to have something –anything- to do.  
  
Cid started to grunt a reply when the doors to the shop opened. "Yuffie! There you are." Aerith said, letting Haya in before shutting the door. "It's happened."  
  
"What's happened?" I asked, waving at Haya.  
  
"They passed it. The hotel's going to be torn down."  
  
I felt my stomach drop. "Really? When?" I asked, my mouth dry.  
  
"Soon. Very soon. They want us moved out by Thursday."  
  
"THURSDAY?! That's 4 days from now!"  
  
Aerith shut her eyes. "I know." She exhaled slowly. "At least they give us places to stay."  
  
Cid leaned forward on the counter. "Won't be so bad kid. What are those houses they're puttin' you guys in like?"  
  
Aerith sat back on the red couch, sweeping her long brown hair in front of her. It lay in her lap. "Well its 4 to a house, there are 4 rooms in each. Very small."  
  
"We'll be together right?" I asked quickly.  
  
"Of course." Aerith smiled gently. Her smile turned to a frown. "They lied though. We're going to pay MORE munny to stay there."  
  
"That's not fair. It's their fault it's happening in the first place!" I exclaimed, hoisting myself onto the counter. Cid barked at me to get down and I did, giving him a dirty look. Grumpy old man.  
  
"Its munny Yuffie. Nothing is ever fair when it comes to munny." Aerith sighed. Cid coughed.  
  
"Well. If you kids really get in a bind, there's a spare bed over at my house. And the Moogle's shop has a couch." Cid offered gruffly.  
  
Aerith smiled at him. "Thanks Cid."  
  
"Eh whatever." He became suddenly interested in a speck of dirt on the spotless counter. I grinned. Grumpy old man, that he was, but he had a heart of gold.  
  
I turned back to Aerith. "So should we start moving in?" I asked, barely able to get the words out.  
  
She looked down. "Cloud and Leon already started." She said. "I came to find you."  
  
Cid had started paying attention once the spotlight was off of him, and asked, "What're you gonna do about the runt?" He tossed his head in Haya's direction.  
  
Haya glared at him with more annoyance than I felt I could even muster and whispered, "Being a runt is better than being a senile, intolerable 40 year old man that couldn't get laid to save his--"  
  
"Haya!" Aerith cried. I snorted with laughter.  
  
Cid started to growl an equally nasty insult back when Aerith cut in. "ANYWAY!" She said loudly. Cid and Haya both sulked. "She'll just have to stay with Yuffie."  
  
"With me? Why me?" I didn't think before I spoke...obviously. I flinched at Haya's expression.  
  
"Oh gee thanks." She grumbled.  
  
I quickly backtracked. "No I didn't mean it like that. I just figured she'd stay in her own room. Since you and Cloud share a room..." I trailed off.  
  
Aerith cocked her head to the side, a sign she was thinking. "I didn't think of that. Bright side, you get your own room too." She smiled at me.  
  
I tried to sound excited. "Yeah that's great." My grin was forced but Aerith to my surprise didn't notice. Or pretended not to notice...  
  
Aerith and Cid began to talk about the apartments Yasui and Kato were building. My mind wandered. Would I really get a room of my own again? At first I hated rooming with Leon. He was colder than ice and meaner than heartless. Or so it seemed.  
  
I noticed the more time we had to spend together, the more I learned he WASN'T so introverted. Now he wasn't Mr. Giggles but he wasn't the asshole I'd first thought he was.  
  
I didn't really WANT to room alone...especially not after the heartless attacks. Granted it had been over a year since the last one, but it still haunted her at night. Staying with Leon sounded safer.  
  
The back of my mind kept whispering to me, but I hadn't been able to hear it. Suddenly it seemed to yell, {THERE'S ANOTHER REASON}  
  
Another reason? There was no other reason, besides security, I tried to assure myself. The only other available option was...love. Or a deep like. I dismissed that thought instantly, but couldn't seem to dismiss the sound of my sub-conscious snickering.  
  
/-/-/-/-/-/  
  
"Its not so bad...I guess." Yuffie said, standing in the middle of her lavender room. She turned a full circle, taking in everything. There was a 'bed' in the corner, basically a mattress and a pillow on the floor. There was a dresser next to the door less closet. "Small." She decided. "And very...very..." Yuffie shuddered. "Pink."  
  
"Lavender. But it's livable." Aerith smiled. "And the kitchen has a nook!" She exclaimed, clapping her hands together. "Its so cute!" Yuffie glanced over her shoulder. There were practically hearts in her friend's eyes. Aerith was already in love with the place.  
  
Yuffie smiled, rolling her eyes. "So its not so bad. Its still not home." She felt Aerith put a hand on her shoulder and sighed  
  
"I know what you mean. But maybe we should make the best of the situation. At least we're together." She smiled at me. I couldn't help but smile back; her optimism was contagious.  
  
"Yeah you're right." I shrugged her hand off. "And, if we hadn't moved, we'd have never seen my hotel room cleaned up!"  
  
Aerith laughed. "Yeah that WAS a miracle. Did you know your carpet was blue?" ((The carpet may not be blue in the game...work with me here.))  
  
I smirked. "I hadn't seen it recently."  
  
"Aerith, where do you want the bed?" Cloud appeared in the doorway, interrupting our conversation.  
  
Aerith glanced at him, then at Yuffie. "See you later." She winked before turning to Cloud. "How big is the mattress?" She asked as she disappeared around the corner. Cloud's answer drifted back,  
  
"Not very."  
  
Yuffie smiled, looking back at the room. She could make this work. With a sudden flash of inspiration, she crossed over to her dresser and pulled out a shirt that had been messily thrown inside.  
  
With a small 'duh-dum' she tossed the shirt in the air. It hovered a millisecond before falling to the floor with a soft thump.  
  
"You don't waste any time do you?" Leon's voice asked sarcastically. Yuffie jumped back a good 6 feet.  
  
"Good God do you have to be so QUIET?!" She hissed.  
  
"Do you have to be so jumpy?" He countered.  
  
Yuffie scowled. "What'd ya want?"  
  
"Nothing. I was passing by." He muttered and started to leave.  
  
"Wait!" Yuffie called, rushing forward a few feet. He paused.  
  
"What."  
  
"Goodnight." She said quickly, looking down. Leon didn't move for a minute.  
  
"Night." He answered. Yuffie heard his heavy footsteps walk down the hall, then his door slam shut. She let out the breath she was holding.  
  
{What in the world was that?} She thought, reaching up to her flushed face. She was...blushing? {Since when do I blush? Over Squall especially} Her mind began its whispering again.  
  
She quickly busied herself by locking the door and changing into her nightclothes. She hadn't realized how tired she actually was. She yawned, yelled goodnight from the safety of her own room, and crawled onto the mattress.  
  
She pulled the folded sheets apart and spread them out, punching her pillow a few times. Her eyes searched the dark room, seeing nothing but hearing all kinds of strange things; whispers, the sound of imaginary things moving across the floor, the incessant ticking of her clock.  
  
It seemed like hours later and she was still wide-awake. The house was now still, and Yuffie figured everyone was asleep by now. She rolled over and looked at the other side of the bed. Empty. It felt so strange.  
  
She wondered if Leon was asleep yet. Maybe she could go check... {And risk waking him up?} She asked herself, smirking. That could be considered suicidal on her part. Yuffie flipped onto her back, staring up at the ceiling.  
  
This was ridiculous. It was that damn Yasui's fault. And Kato's. No one WANTED an apartment. Everyone was perfectly fine with the hotel. But no, they had to go and ruin everything.  
  
Yuffie grew increasingly more frustrated. "Forget it." She grumbled, crawling to her feet. Her clock flashed 12:00 A.M. Leon would definitely have to be asleep by now. Maybe she could just crawl in unnoticed...  
  
-/-/-Short Leon POV /-/-/  
  
{I miss Yuffie. How the hell did that happen?} Leon asked himself as he stared up at the black ceiling. But it was true. He missed her constant moving around, her heavy breathing, the way she used to curl up to his side. He'd always found that annoying...until now. Haya's words had struck hidden feelings he didn't know he had.  
  
He had just rolled over to one side of the bed when he heard his door open quietly. He shut his eyes and steadied his breathing, hoping the person would go away. {Unless...}  
  
He heard a soft whisper, "Squallie?" He had this strange urge to yell back Leon. It was obviously Yuffie. He heard her whisper his name again. For a moment everything was silent. The bed sank and Leon felt the blankets being pulled taut. Leon didn't dare move, for fear she'd find out he was awake. Or worse, she'd leave.  
  
After a few minutes Leon relaxed, hearing her continual, heavy breathing. He smiled into the darkness and shut his eyes, already falling asleep. Just then, he felt her roll over and huddle up to his side, her breath warm on his bare arm.  
  
"Goodnight Squall." She murmured.  
  
He paused, sucking in his breath. "Night Yuffie." He answered back finally, and gave into the night.  
  
(~(~(~)~(~)  
  
Sorry. I know the ending fluff (can it be CONSIDERED fluff) was so short but I was in a rush to get this chapter out. I delayed long enough...and basically I HATE this chapter. I hate almost everything about it... except the very end. ^_^ Little outta character, little rushed but so damn cute!  
  
Apnea is a real sleep disorder, my father has it. It's a pretty scary thing...and I just had to throw in a diseased/sick/crippled person....of course. Its what I do! Sowy.  
  
Deplora: LOL! Thanks for reviewing. Unfortunately R/S is getting MORE and more popular. *Tear*  
  
Snowri: HAHAHA! The help of the Thesaurus button REALLLLLY helps out. *Wink*  
  
inu_yashas_ears330: I LOVE HOW YOU SAID 'DAYUM'!! HAHA! ^_^ I like her too. *Smile*  
  
Artistlil349: lol, that was inspired by someone's fic...I wanna say it was either Snowri or the VL...hmm. I don't remember right now. *Sniff*  
  
Onimushayagyu: hehe thanks. This story won't have much violence...as its mostly going to end up as a fluffy romance. (I'm hopin) *grin*  
  
Mari: hehe, thanks. AND I'M SORRY IT TOOK SO LONG! I just kept going over it and over it and adding stuff and...yeah. *eyes dagger wearily*  
  
DAYUM!!! 12 PAGES AGAIN!! 4160 WORDS!! Well...as of now its...4166 words...4167...DAMN IT! (4169) 


	3. Mayflies and Authors notes

Okay. I am...SO sorry for the delay on this and um...*sniff* there is going to have to be an even BIGGER delay. See I'm stuck visiting family all weekend and you can ask my friends, all week I have been busting my butt to write this chapter and frankly...I couldn't make it.  
  
SO! I have a lot written out, but not enough to please you guys (or myself) and not enough time to type it out and...well. I'll write ALL weekend I promise! And I'll type it up and you can expect the next chap by next week, at the most the END of next week. Again, I is so sorry.  
  
B/C we is not allowed to put A/N as a chapter, I have put a little interlude that I hope you guys don't find stupid. I laughed my butt off writing this in the middle of biology (believe me I got some funny looks), mainly because THIS IS SO ME! Mayflies will be the death of us all just you wait...  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Satan. The little thing was Satan. It sat on top of my dresser, trying to fool me into thinking it was a harmless little mayfly. But I was the great ninja Yuffie and I...I was smarter than that.  
  
I raised the shoe and slowly walked forward, keeping my eyes locked on the bug as I moved. It fluttered and I paused, waiting for it to calm down. It landed on the dresser again.  
  
"Shh little bug. I'm not going to hurt you..." I murmured soothingly. It twitched questioningly. "I'm only going to squash you. It'll be over soon..." The evil mutated mosquito took off toward my bed and I shrieked.  
  
"NO! No see I was just kidding..." I pleaded as I lost sight of it. I raised the shoe once again, ready to lunge at the first sight.  
  
"What in the world are you doing?" A voice at the door asked laughingly. I jumped and spun around.  
  
"Haya!" I whined, looking over the pink walls in defeat. He was gone for now. "I was trying to kill the stupid bug."  
  
Haya was watching with a half smirk. "Don't you have a fly swatter around here? That's kinda old school..." she nodded toward my yellow and green shoe that I was so threateningly brandishing. I shrugged and lowered my weapon.  
  
"What're were you doing spying on me?" I demanded, flopping back onto my bed. Haya grinned.  
  
"I wasn't spying, I was watching. I walked by and your door was open...that's all." Her eyes traveled to my ceiling. "And your little friend is up there." She pointed and I jumped to life, prepared to kill.  
  
"When you leave, shut my door." I instructed, locking eyes on my target.  
  
"You bet." Haya rolled her eyes and left, closing the door as I'd requested.  
  
'Just you and me now..." I grumbled, jumping up onto my bed. The once-was neat sheets were now a messy tangle at my feet thanks to my jumping and standing on it. This was the most use it had received so far, seeing as it was only my second day in this place and I had spent the night with Squall last night.  
  
The shoe made a loud thunk as I hit the wall with it. The object of my hatred flitted away unharmed. I growled and waited for my moment again. This morning when I'd awoken Squall was already up and out. Of course I'd been surprised he hadn't pushed me off the bed and kicked me out.  
  
Very faintly I remembered whispering goodnight. Maybe I had been more tired than I realized, or I was just plain crazy but I could've sworn he said 'Night' back.  
  
"AH HA!" I laughed triumphantly, lifting my shoe away from the wall. Nothing...I expected a squished bug but nothing. It was then I saw the mayfly buzz away happily.  
  
"You...you have duped and/or frustrated me for the last time!" I was determined to outsmart this demon creature. As I stalked my enemy, I decided to dwell a little bit longer on Squall's mystery words. Could that have been just regular old wishful thinking on my part?  
  
That perhaps maybe he would care...or more than care? "Naw...he would never..." I made the mistake of saying it out loud.  
  
"Never what?"  
  
~*~*~*  
  
TBC 


	4. Protests

Satan. The little thing was Satan. It sat on top of my dresser, trying to fool me into thinking it was a harmless little mayfly. But I was the great ninja Yuffie and I...I was smarter than that.  
  
I raised the shoe and slowly walked forward, keeping my eyes locked on the bug as I moved. It fluttered and I paused, waiting for it to calm down. It landed on the dresser again.  
  
"Shh little bug. I'm not going to hurt you..." I murmured soothingly. It twitched questioningly. "I'm only going to squash you. It'll be over soon..." The evil mutated mosquito took off toward my bed and I shrieked.  
  
"NO! No see I was just kidding..." I pleaded as I lost sight of it. I raised the shoe once again, ready to lunge at the first sight.  
  
"What in the world are you doing?" A voice at the door asked laughingly. I jumped and spun around.  
  
"Haya!" I whined, looking over the pink walls in defeat. He was gone for now. "I was trying to kill the stupid bug."  
  
Haya was watching with a half smirk. "Don't you have a fly swatter around here? That's kinda old school..." she nodded toward my yellow and green shoe that I was so threateningly brandishing. I shrugged and lowered my weapon.  
  
"What were you doing spying on me?" I demanded, flopping back onto my bed. Haya grinned.  
  
"I wasn't spying, I was watching. I walked by and your door was open...that's all." Her eyes traveled to my ceiling. "And your little friend is up there." She pointed and I jumped to life, prepared to kill.  
  
"When you leave, shut my door." I instructed, locking eyes on my target.  
  
"You bet." Haya rolled her eyes and left, closing the door as I'd requested.  
  
'Just you and me now..." I grumbled, jumping up onto my bed. The once-was neat sheets were now a messy tangle at my feet thanks to my jumping and standing on it. This was the most use it had received so far, seeing as it was only my second day in this place and I had spent the night with Squall last night.  
  
The shoe made a loud thunk as I hit the wall with it. The object of my hatred flitted away unharmed. I growled and waited for my moment again. This morning when I'd awoken Squall was already up and out. Of course I'd been surprised he hadn't pushed me off the bed and kicked me out.  
  
Very faintly I remembered whispering goodnight. Maybe I had been more tired than I realized, or I was just plain crazy but I could've sworn he said 'Night' back.  
  
"AH HA!" I laughed triumphantly, lifting my shoe away from the wall. Nothing...I expected a squished bug but nothing. It was then I saw the mayfly buzz away happily.  
  
"You...you have duped and/or frustrated me for the last time!" I was determined to outsmart this demon creature. As I stalked my enemy, I decided to dwell a little bit longer on Squall's mystery words. Could that have been just regular old wishful thinking on my part?  
  
That perhaps maybe he would care...or more than care? "Naw...he would never..." I made the mistake of saying it out loud.  
  
"Never what?"  
  
{~~~~Squall~~~~}  
  
"How did you sleep last night?" Aerith smiled, looking up at Squall from the lunch she was making. The blonde haired man across behind her smiled secretly. He knew about Squall and Yuffie's night.  
  
Squall kept his eyes on the counter. "Fine." He answered shortly; making it clear he didn't want the subject pushed any further.  
  
"Well I miss the hotel. I didn't sleep at all." Aerith tried to keep the nearly one-sided conversation alive.  
  
"Mmmhmm." Squall allowed, rising to his full height of 5'10. ((A/N: I don't know his actual height...Its 5 something. He be kinda short. ^_^))  
  
"You'll get used to it Aerith." Cloud turned and put his hand on her back comfortingly. He locked eyes with the brunette warningly, signaling Squall to sit down. The gunblade specialist glared but obliged.  
  
Aerith hadn't noticed this exchange and continued, "That's what I'm afraid of. We'll all get used to it here and find ourselves comfortable." Her normally soft voice grew firm. "And then that man will force us into those new apartments and we'll have to go through another big adjustment again." She brought a knife down hard to cut her sandwich in two but missed, coming dangerously close to her hand.  
  
Cloud grabbed the knife quickly, eyebrows raised. She looked at him in confusion then down at her sandwich, which was all in one piece. She shut her eyes and sighed. "Alright, give it to me." She held out her hand to take it.  
  
Cloud pulled it further away teasingly. "Cute. Seriously, give it here." She smiled, sounding more like Aerith. Squall walked away from their play fight unnoticed, shaking his head.  
  
He had slept fine last night...as soon as Yuffie showed up anyway. Speaking of Yuffie, a loud crash was heard from the direction of her room. Haya appeared around the corner and came to an abrupt halt to keep from running into the stoic fighter.  
  
Squall glared down at her but she didn't notice, or just didn't care. Either way, she didn't acknowledge it. Another thud was heard from Yuffie's room. Haya rolled her eyes. "She's fighting a losing battle." She explained when Squall looked at her questioningly.  
  
"With what?"  
  
"A mayfly." Haya was completely monotone. It was Squall's turn to roll his eyes.  
  
"Haya?" Aerith poked her head around the corner. "Oh I thought I heard your voice." She smiled when she saw the girl. "Do you want some lunch?"  
  
When Haya nodded, Aerith disappeared back into the kitchen, satisfied. She turned back to Squall and flipped her head slightly toward the hallway. "She's been kinda quiet for a while. You may wanna check on her." She suggested before she followed Aerith into the kitchen.  
  
Squall hung around for a second, making sure Haya didn't think he was actually going to take her advice before taking a detour toward Yuffie's room. Very quietly he opened her door, not wanting to interrupt her war.  
  
To his surprise she was standing in the middle of the room quietly with a dreamy look on her face. He watched her for a moment, mesmerized. She looked so...so much older when she was being serious. When had she grown up? 'Right under your nose.' He thought.  
  
Yuffie shook her head suddenly and sighed. "He would never..." She muttered but trailed off, leaving her thought unfinished.  
  
"Never what?" Squall asked. Yuffie jumped and spun around, locking eyes with Squall.  
  
"Lord, MUST you people do that?!" She exclaimed dropping the shoe on the floor with an exaggerated air of annoyance. Squall figured Haya had sneaked up on her too. Out of the corner of his eyes he saw the bug buzzing toward his head.  
  
Yuffie saw it too and her eyes widened. Don't...move..." She whispered, picking up the shoe in a hurry. Squall glanced at the approaching mayfly and with speed only gained through constant training, he reached over and caught it in his hand, feeling its wings beating furiously. He smirked at her, eyeing the shoe scornfully.  
  
Yuffie stared at his closed fist, sort of deflated. "That was my battle you just won for me Squall." She grumbled, opening her window.  
  
"Leon." He shrugged and crossed the room, letting the mayfly free. Yuffie grumbled something sarcastic in return, muttering about being nice to a bug. She glared at him again as though he had said something to offend her. She quickly looked down though.  
  
"Wait." She muttered. "What were you doing in here anyway?" He didn't like her suspicious tone.  
  
Squall looked down at her calmly and asked his own question in return. "Would never what? Who is this he?"  
  
Yuffie suddenly looked very uncomfortable. "No one." She replied slipping past him and busily remaking her bed. Squall stood watching silently. He watched as her body tensed momentarily, and then relaxed into a sigh of defeat. "Cloud." She grumbled as she turned around. "I was gonna ask if Cloud would come kill the mayfly, but I...I figured he would laugh at me. Or something." She sounded sincere enough, so Squall bought it.  
  
"You could've just asked me." He said emotionlessly. Once again she looked like someone had just told her a huge secret and turned a cute shade of red. 'Cute?' He asked himself. 'You're losin it.'  
  
Yuffie mumbled something that sounded an awful lot like "Yeah that'd happen." And resumed making her bed. Aerith called from up the hall, something about construction. Squall followed Yuffie out of the room, not before she closed her door.  
  
"No more mayflies." She murmured and Squall rolled his eyes.  
  
"Cid was just here." Aerith said when they reached the kitchen. "They are starting construction tomorrow morning. Apparently, someone has chained themselves to the front of the building in an effort to stop the plans." She laughed softly.  
  
"Well that's a good idea." Yuffie smiled, looking out the window. Squall's eyes followed. There was a woman and her love walking down the quiet street, hand in hand. Squall found himself wondering about Yuffie and her possible love. The only problem...he couldn't erase the image of himself as the love.  
  
"Well? Do you?" Aerith was asking.  
  
"Do I what?" Yuffie asked as her attention was diverted to her older friend.  
  
"Want to go with me? I need to stock up on potions and things."  
  
"Potions? Where've you been using potions?" Yuffie wrinkled her nose in confusion. Aerith cleared her throat, a pink tinge complimenting her cheeks. Squall felt an immense urge to leave, knowing Aerith's reason full well. His idea of a nice thought didn't include his friends' sex life.  
  
Yuffie was still blissfully unaware of the point.  
  
"You know she works part-time at the infirmary Yuffie." He thought of a quick excuse, saving Aerith from an uncomfortable explanation and an even more uncomfortable revelation for Yuffie. Besides, it was partly true.  
  
Yuffie nodded. "Oh yeah. I'll go." She shrugged. "You coulda just said that ya know." But before the two left, Aerith shot squall a grateful look and he nodded her away quickly. The less time he spent thinking about it the better off he was.  
  
*~*~*Yuffie~*~*~*  
  
"Gawd." I said, looking up at the hotel. It was dark and creepy, with yellow caution tape strung up and around the doors and windows. The woman who had chained herself to the doors was still sitting there, calling to the murmuring crowd.  
  
"Think she'll last long?" I asked, nodding to the brunette protester.  
  
Aerith shook her head. "No unfortunately. Of course...I have half a mind to join her myself anyway." Aerith got a sort of look on her face that I didn't like at all.  
  
"Aeeerith." I said warningly. She blinked a few times, back in reality.  
  
"Oh Yuffie. I'm not GOING to..." But I didn't like the way she trailed off either. I groaned and pulled her arm away from the sight.  
  
"Lets just get your stuff already." The item shop held everything Aerith needed. She paid for her items and left, me trailing behind her boredly. ((A/N: So what if boredly is not a word. Don't care. ^_^)) Before we reached the second district doors there was a familiar voice.  
  
"Kid, I already told you! I don't know a thing about interworld business!" Cid and Haya walked around the corner, Cid red faced and Haya positively glowing.  
  
"All I'm saying is, you could make a LOT of munny if you started a gummy ship business. A real gummy shop. Think, you could have a whole chain across the worlds of Cid's Gummy shop. Or Gummy Ship Shop, though that sounds a little cheesy. But hey, it's your shop."  
  
"KID! It aint my shop! I aint making any gummy whatever shops!"  
  
"MY NAME IS NOT KID!" Haya exclaimed with a violent shake of her head.  
  
Cid began to growl something but caught sight of us first. "Thank God." He said instead. "Take her. Please." He jabbed his thumb in Haya's direction. Her reaction to that was to stick her tongue out at him.  
  
"Mission accomplished?" I asked with a grin. Haya gave me a sly look.  
  
"Mission accomplished."  
  
"What mission would this be?" Aerith asked, giving us both weary looks. She shifted the brown bag full of supplies to her other hip.  
  
"Annoy Cid." We both said at the same time.  
  
Cid grumbled, "Damn conspiracy." But I knew he secretly enjoyed a good argument. HE wasn't as upset as he acted.  
  
Aerith switched the bag again. "This is heavy, can I sit it in your shop for now?" She asked Cid.  
  
"Yeah c'mon." He said, motioning for her to follow him.  
  
"Don't forget what we talked about." Haya called after him. He grunted in response. We stood for a minute in silence. "So." She spoke up.  
  
"So." I replied lightly. Neither of us spoke again, so I felt comfortable enough to drift off into my thoughts. They fell on Aerith and her expression when she mentioned the protest. Aerith, no matter how sweet and gently, could yell with the best of them.  
  
I never wanted to get on her bad side. It took a lot to get on her list though, someone would really have to work at it. She put the meaning in the sayings, 'love thy enemy' and 'Kill em with kindness.'  
  
Of course, I'd seen her angry before. I'd been the CAUSE of her anger before so she couldn't fool me into thinking she was angelic. The only thing that floored me about her was that she had never been mad at Cloud. That I knew of anyway. I'm sure there were times when she grew snappish with him but so far never in public. Those two were so in love. If Aerith was upset, all it would take was Cloud to pull her in his arms and everything seemed right with the world again.  
  
Honestly, I used to be jealous of her. When I had been younger, I was in awe of her patience and kindness. I was probably 6 or 7 then, and I liked to braid my hair the same way she did, even though it was cut so short it only twisted a couple times. I didn't care. I was going to be just like Aerith.  
  
That was when I was little though, before I knew I was gonna be Yuffie, the greatest female ninja ever. I always had it in me but I just didn't know it until my later years...  
  
'If I had stayed like Aerith...would Squall care for me now like he had cared for Rinoa then?' I immediately yelled at myself not to answer that and scolded myself for thinking something so stupid. I was horrified I had the nerve to think it, and even more terrified Haya would somehow be able to read my mind. I quickly tried to erase my thoughts but Squall's deep dark eyes and handsome face burned at the front of my mind.  
  
The look on my face must've been one of a person who'd just sucked a lemon because Haya suddenly looked concerned. "Yuffie? You okay?" She stopped walking and put a hand on my shoulder.  
  
I nodded quickly and smiled. "Of course! I was just thinking...is all." My words sounded calm and genuine to my luck and surprise. Haya fell for my decent acting and dropped the worried look.  
  
"So what were you think about?" She was back to her old sarcastic self.  
  
"Nothing important. Just Aerith." Well it WAS true.  
  
Haya gave me a weird look and pushed her long dark hair behind her shoulders. It seemed to hit me how young she was...I'd almost forgotten.  
  
"How about you miss mysterious? What's on your mind?" I was desperate to get the attention away from me and my mind away from my crush on Squall. And God forbid Haya found out about it. I could just imagine her laughter and teasing.  
  
"Nothing." She shrugged and I wondered if she too was acting.  
  
"Well...you ready to spill about your family? Or the reason you're here?" I continued. She'd told me a flighty reason when I last asked her. This time, she kept her eyes straight ahead and spoke in a monotone voice.  
  
"My family is dead to me now. And as for why I'm here...I simply ran away. Got tired of where I was and found my chance with the Aoki's." She shrugged. "Gotta remember to thank them..." This information was not new to me. Apparently she wasn't ready to tell her life story yet, but that was okay. I could respect that.  
  
"Well, you're escape wasn't well planned out. I mean, we did find you under a bench." Okay so I wasn't totally ready to respect her unwillingness to talk.  
  
Haya snorted. "Yeah well, I have an excuse. I'm only 8. I woulda done well for myself though if you hadn't run across me. Everything woulda worked out." She sounded so confident...I truly believed it would have. Haya was lucky like that. "I'm just glad I didn't catch anything."  
  
I laughed. "Yeah, its bad enough with your sleep aphotic whatever."  
  
"Apnea."  
  
"What you said." It was Haya's turn to laugh.  
  
"You can't remember 'Apnea' but you know words like 'aphotic'."  
  
"Well." I shrugged sheepishly. "I didn't say I knew what it meant. I just know it's a word..."  
  
"In easy terms, the aphotic zone is an area under water that receives no light."  
  
"Why not?" I asked.  
  
"Because its too deep." She said simply as though it was the easiest thing in the world to understand. I didn't understand and questioned her further.  
  
"Don't fish need light?"  
  
"Sort of." She said carefully. "Light is needed for photosynthesis-"She paused and looked at me. "You know what photosynthesis is right?" When I gave her a Look she continued. "Sunlight can only penetrate so far. Ever wondered why you don't have fish here?"  
  
"Well, for one." I began. "We don't have lakes or oceans."  
  
"Good point. But you've got no sun either." Haya grinned. I had to do a double take at this child teaching me simple biology. Maybe I would have known all this if I hadn't dropped school in Hollow Bastion at such a young age. But they certainly wouldn't have taught it to me at Haya's age, even if I had stayed.  
  
"How do you KNOW all this?" I asked with true wonder. Haya flushed and dismissed the question with a wave of her hand.  
  
"Ah, I just always loved to read is all."  
  
I scoffed. "Yeah well I read too, but I never read about any aphotic zones or the needs of fish." I grumbled. Our mindless wandering had taken us to Third district, where our new housing was.  
  
"So this must be hard for you." Haya nodded toward the house. I nodded and made the universal 'so-so' movement with my hand.  
  
"Woulda been harder if I was alone."  
  
"Oh. You mean if you didn't have Leon?" She asked with a smirk. I gave her a skeptical look.  
  
"Or Cloud or Aerith." I was sure to say quickly before she grew too suspicious. Haya gave a little noise of disbelief, with a grin to cement it.  
  
"Well you could be a little more sympathetic." I snapped. She raised her hands to signal her apologies.  
  
"Sorry sorry. Its just funny."  
  
With weary hesitation I asked, "What is?" Haya locked eyes with me and suddenly grew serious. I realized she was about to make a long, profound observation and I really should've just kept my mouth shut. Darn my curious nature.  
  
"The fact that you are terrified to admit you have feelings for Leon that are stronger than you probably want or understand right now. Maybe if you two would stop thinking about what the other is going to think, you could enjoy your time together instead of dancing around this love-hate relationship you've built. God Yuf, grow some balls and tell him how you feel. I promise he isn't gonna bite ya. In a bad way that is." She grinned.  
  
Yup. I knew I shoulda kept my mouth shut. I looked around quickly, paranoid that someone, namely Squall was listening somewhere.  
  
"He's not here." Haya sighed impatiently as she shook her head.  
  
"I know that!" I hissed, struggling to keep my voice low. "We will never ever discuss this again in public. Understand?!"  
  
Haya nodded. "So then when CAN we have this conversation?" She asked with a mischievous gleam in her eyes.  
  
"I refuse to discuss my love life or lack thereof with a child!" I flinched at the squeak my voice made on that last word. This seemed to please Haya even more.  
  
"You know." She giggled. "That's almost exactly what Leon said when he hand this conversation with me." And with that she sauntered off, leaving me open-mouthed and staring.  
  
~*~  
  
"Have you seen Aerith?" Cloud asked as he walked into the living room, holding a shoebox. I looked up from the shuriken I was polishing and shook my head.  
  
"Not since this afternoon. She was with Cid...You mean she hasn't been home?" I glanced out the window. "It must've been four hours ago at least."  
  
Squall spoke up from the couch. "You know Aerith, she probably got sidetracked at the infirmary."  
  
"Maybe. But it's not like her to not check in." I argued as I climbed to my feel. I gathered my newly cleaned weapons. It wasn't like I needed them anymore, but I still liked to keep them and myself in top shape. "Should I try to find her?"  
  
Cloud shook his head and sat the box down on the sofa. "No it's safer if I go."  
  
'Safer?' I thought sarcastically. 'From what? The boogeyman?' I knew he only meant it in my best interest, but I was almost an adult now and I still felt irked by his over protectiveness when it came to matters like this. "I'll go with you then. By your logic, it'll be even safer with two people."  
  
I really didn't care what his answer was. Technically I was still under their care, but I was old enough to be my own person and make my own decisions. "Eh." Cloud shrugged as he headed out the door. I quickly followed.  
  
{{{---~SQUALL~---}}}  
  
Squall watched as the blonde swordsman and the perky ninja walked off into the distance. His eyes lingered particularly longer on the ninja, staying motionless as she glanced over her shoulder at him with a smile and a wave.  
  
'She has such a pretty smile.' He thought, letting his guard drop. This time his mind didn't argue or scream or melt because it agreed with him. He was slowly coming to terms with the fact hat he, the strong and silent Squall, was falling in love with his fighting partner. His specifically YOUNG fighting partner.  
  
Unfortunately, he could not and would not ever admit to it in anyone's presence. Not this early at least. He sighed and walked back to the couch. IT sank beneath his weight, the old, ugly flower print covering bunching up beside him. The shoebox Cloud had been carrying flipped over, spilling its contents all over his lap.  
  
He scowled at the papers and sat the box upright. The papers were nothing important and he spared no more than a glance at most of them...until one caught his eye. It was Yuffie's, a drawing of hers dated back when she was around Haya's age.  
  
It was of two people, a short, black-haired girl in a long white dress and the other a tall boy with a large, poorly drawn sword. He smiled when he realized it was of Yuffie and himself. His amusement came to a crashing halt when he read the small red scribbling in the bottom corner. 'Yuffie Leonhart'.  
  
He double checked to make sure it really said Leonhart. "What the hell..." He murmured, staring in pleasant surprise at the picture. Did this mean...Yuffie must have had a crush on him when she was younger.  
  
He was still staring at the picture when he heard something in the distance...was that music? Soft piano sounds drifted to Squall from an unknown place. Yet it was so familiar. He set the picture down on top of the shoebox and stood up, listening carefully.  
  
The further to the kitchen he got the farther the music grew. He headed toward his room...Yuffie's room...and past Cloud and Aerith's room. The last was the guest room, which was where Haya stayed. He didn't remember her having a piano in her room though...  
  
He knocked on the door and received no answer. The music continued is melodic tune, so clear...it was as though someone was playing right in front of his face but he couldn't see them. 'Where have I heard that before?' He thought.  
  
Yuffie's adolescent face kept surfacing in his mind. 'Eyes on me.' ((A/N: Yeah I been playin FF8. ^_^)) That was it. Yuffie used to sit and play this all the time in the library. The memory was now as clear and vivid as the music. Yuffie's parents forced her to learn the piano when she was younger, and she had taken a liking to this one song.  
  
Squall used to love the song, even though it annoyed him that she played it constantly. It had been so long since he last heard it...but who was playing it now? It couldn't be Yuffie...  
  
"Squall?" A perky voice asked form the doorway. The music stopped almost instantly. He turned and replied,  
  
"Leon."  
  
Yuffie rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Anyway, you gotta come with me." She grabbed his arm and started to pull him out the door. Squall didn't move.  
  
"Why?"  
  
Yuffie's shoulders drooped. "Must you question everything I say? Cloud told me to come get you. We found Aerith." Squall could tell there was nothing wrong with Aerith because Yuffie was smiling as she said it.  
  
"You found her where?" He asked as he pushed past her. The light ninja fell backward but caught herself and promptly glared daggers at him. Apparently she decided anger would be a wasted emotion on him because she ran ahead, the normal grin replacing her frown.  
  
"You'll see." She said mysteriously, opening the door for him. She led him to Second district, where he could see a very small crowd gathered around the hotel. Three people stood in the middle...  
  
"Oh shit." He cursed when he recognized two of them.  
  
"Aerith!" Yuffie called as she pulled herself up over the wall. Squall followed somewhat less gracefully. The flower girl grinned and waved at the two with her free hand; the other was chained to the door along with the other brunette's.  
  
Cloud stood next to his love, looking as though he'd rather be anywhere having needles shoved under his nails than be here. Squall almost smirked at his expression but decided it was better not to tease his blonde friend right now.  
  
"C'mon Aerith, just unlock yourself and we'll go home." He was almost pleading. Aerith cocked her head to the side and smiled at him softly.  
  
"Cloud honey." He flushed at the pet name she had used in public. "I'm trying to get our home back. You look so tired though, you should go back and get some sleep. I'm going to be just fine right there." She tried to reassure him by slipping her hand into his but he pulled away.  
  
"I'm not leaving you out here." He replied.  
  
"I'm not leaving either." Yuffie spoke up. To secure this statement she sank down onto the ground where she was standing.  
  
"When do you plan to stop this?" Squall asked, glancing over at the murmuring onlookers. There were a few words he could catch from their conversations but not enough to piece together a general consensus of the situation.  
  
"When they forcibly remove us." Aerith nodded to the other woman, who smiled.  
  
"No worries. At least if we lose, we went down with a fight." The woman reasoned. "By the way, I'm Persephone." She added for Squall's benefit. He nodded in acknowledgement.  
  
"And you plan to just sleep standing up? When will you eat?" Cloud asked, looking between the two strong-willed women. Aerith pointed to a fair sized icebox with blankets piled on top.  
  
"We're prepared Cloud." She smiled again, her emerald green eyes twinkling happily. IT had been a while since Squall could remember seeing her so passionate about something. Cloud must've seen it too because he sighed.  
  
"Alright. Fine. I'll stay with you too."  
  
"Whee! Its like a part!" Yuffie laughed and Squall was relieved to see she was being sarcastic. "At least it'll be warm and dry tonight."  
  
"Shh! You'll jinx us!" Aerith scolded playfully. She suddenly grew serious. "Wait. Haya." Aerith said.  
  
"She'll be fine. IF she gets worried, she'll come find us." Squall shrugged and the rest of them decided he was right. Haya was as self-sufficient as all of them put together. The four, plus Persephone settled down for a long night.  
  
~*~((A/N: WHEE! NOW ONTO THE FLUFFSTERS!!! Kinda.))  
  
'So much for warmth.' Squall thought as the air grew cooler. The few people that had been gathered around left hours ago, a few deciding to join the pointless but brave protest. It was a sad looking protest at the moment, all the people spread out on the ground sleeping.  
  
He shifted on the cold, hard stone and looked at Aerith. She was sleeping peacefully with her head resting on Cloud's lap. Cloud had put his cape over her while she slept to keep her warm. Cloud sat against the wall, staring blankly at a spot above Squall's head while he stroked her hair unconsciously.  
  
Squall looked over at Yuffie, who had been so ready for anything, so enthusiastic about the whole plan. Now she was considerably quieter, sleeping in a ball next to the wall. She obviously hadn't been prepared for this outing because she was in her shorts and tank top, and was shivering every once in a while.  
  
He sighed and slid over to her, slipping off his jacket as he did so. He followed Cloud's example and put it over Yuffie's thin shoulders. Almost instantly her trembling ceased.  
  
"Take her back." Cloud spoke up, softly so he wouldn't wake up anyone. "I'll stay here with Aerith and the rest of them." Squall looked at him, then back at Yuffie.  
  
"Alright. I'll be back." He began to say but Cloud interrupted him.  
  
"Don't bother. Check on Haya while you're there."  
  
Squall nodded after a moment's hesitation. "I'll be here in the morning."  
  
"See you then." Cloud answered, looking back down at his love, who was still sleeping peacefully. Squall gently gathered Yuffie's small frame in his arms, one hand supporting her back and the other under her knees. Bridal style. She whined softly but didn't open her eyes. Squall's heart skipped a beat.  
  
'Stop it. You're a grown man.' He scolded himself. He didn't have time for that stupid behavior. He'd expect that from someone...well someone like Yuffie. As he carried her, she leaned farther in him, smiling so softly he wondered if she was awake. With his foot be pushed open their door and then pushed it shut. He realized as he opened Yuffie's bedroom door it was much colder than it should have been in her room. He scanned the room and found the source of the problem.  
  
Yuffie had left the window open. He contemplated putting her in his room, but figured once she burrowed under the covers she'd be fine. He laid her on the bed carefully, prying her arms away from around his middle. She murmured something about the cold and turned her face to the pillow.  
  
"Shh." Squall whispered, pulling her blankets over her. Her clothes were still on, including her shoes, and she was still wrapped in his jacket. He didn't mind. She could have it for the night.  
  
He stood by her bed for a moment, watching her sleep. She was so perfect when she slept. She wasn't loud and perky and annoying...she was just...perfect. She rolled over to face Squall, a few strands of her hair falling into her face. She sneezed in her sleep which reminded him to shut the window. He did, and walked back to her bedside. Maybe he should have put her in a warmer place. The last thing he needed was a sick ninja.  
  
With a final glance at her, he decided she would be fine right where she was and after a half-second of deliberation he leaned down and very softly kissed her. He paused a few inches from her face, scanning for any signs of movement from her. There were none and he crept out of the room, closing the door and heading down to Haya's room. She was sleeping fine in her bed.  
  
'Glad to see she wasn't worried.' HE thought sarcastically as he closed her door. Back in his own room he found himself looking forward to falling into bed and sleeping forever. Without bothering to change, he pulled off his shoes and belts and collapsed into the cool sheets.  
  
Just when he had gotten comfortable there was a shy knock. He paused wondering if it had been his imagination. If it wasn't, maybe they would leave him alone if he didn't answer. Sure enough here was a small voice from the hallway.  
  
"Squall?"  
  
"Damn it Yuffie. Its LEON." He grumbled but didn't bother to let her know. Pulling himself to his feet, he crossed the room and opened the door. Yuffie stood in the doorway, holding a pillow in one hand and his jacket in the other. "What?" He snapped.  
  
She opened her mouth the closed it quickly, looking a little embarrassed. Squall didn't move or relax his towering position, wondering if he should just slam the door in her face. He decided against it. Yuffie drew herself to her full height and said in a firm voice.  
  
"Its cold and there are mayflies in my room."  
  
Squall stared at her with a sort of incredulous expression and wondered if she was serious. "Well...Sleep in Haya's room." He started to shut the door. Yuffie put her foot in the way.  
  
"Her sleep thingy freaks me out. I keep thinking she's gonna die."  
  
"Then sleep in Cloud and Aerith's room."  
  
"Sq-uaaa-lll!" She whined, pushing the door back.  
  
"Leon." He growled back but sighed. "Whatever. This wont happen again." He warmed as he stepped aside to let her pass.  
  
"Oh-no of course not!! Last time I promise." She chirped as she bounced onto the bed. Squall gave her a disbelieving look but didn't say anything as he crawled in next to her. After they'd both gotten still, Yuffie's soft voice spoke.  
  
"Thanks."  
  
Squall shut his eyes and smiled, grateful Yuffie could not see him though the darkness.  
  
{{++++++TBC++++++}}  
  
Well. This was just peachy no? That's right. No. Well like normal I despise this chapter, except for the beginning and end. :D The whole fish thing was pretty stupid, but I wrote that part in biology and *gasp* you guessed it. That's what we were studying.  
  
Aerith may seem a little OOC...she seemed very OOC in this chapter. In this whole story. Hope that's okay... =S There may be a few mistakes in this chapter, but I'm too tired to edit and I just want to get this posted.  
  
As for my other stories, I have 'I saw the sign 2', the Sora/Kairi version written and it just needs to be typed up. My next project/chapter is 'May it be'. Expect that one within the next three weeks...if all goes as planned. It shouldn't be too long I've got lots of ideas for that one. 'Message in a bottle' is taking a backseat to May it be for a little bit...after May it be is out, I'll start back in on that one.  
  
Anyway, THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR THE REVIEWS. I'm addicted and they just help me so much. When I'm stuck I read a few reviews and I get all inspired again. ^_^  
  
Deplora: (chap2) To your review about the Squffie population breeding...HAHAHAHAHA! (chap 3) Hehe yes I am evil. But that's not why I left it there. And I didn't take until the end of the week! By some sort of miracle I got this chapter out earlier. Oh and don't even get me started on wasps and bees...and spiders and snakes and mayflies and...oh wait. Mayflies are what started it...Ahem anyway. ^_^  
  
Shattered Rain AKA Snowri: Hehe yes, I think they would make good Disney villains. Evil peeps that they are. But they wont win! Wait...did I just give away the ending? Ahem. And I know EXACTLY what you mean about playing FF8! I have saved and watched that dance scene over 4 dozen times, I've counted. It's SOO cute. And yeah, I had to read a bunch of Squffies to get the Rinoa/Squall thing outta my mind. *Sigh* He makes a great couple with Rinoa AND Yuffie. Why not meh? ^_^ But...in some ways Rinoa reminds me of Yuffie...is that strange or what?  
  
Mari: You aren't weird! Dude I loved that part. I was proud of that part! And its okay, sometimes I NEED to be pushed to get the next chapter out. I'm telling ya, reviews = inspiration.  
  
BlueEyedDemon10: Hehe thank you so much! I hope to get these chapters out sooner...one day.  
  
Deity of Death: Yeah, Squall can be NICE sometimes. Shock! ^_^ Though its rare. I mentioned earlier I was playing FF8, and I was looking up pictures and I saw one of Squall SMILING! I swear I nearly passed out. WHY doesn't he ever smile?! HE IS SO FREAKING HOT! If anyone wants the picture just let me know in a review and I'll get it to you somehow....  
  
BroncosCheer-literofpepsy: Sorry it's been a while since my last update (REAL update that is). But hey, let me know if you have time what that ending you made up was...^_^ NEVER WHAT!!! Hahaha I laughed for a long time after that review.  
  
Elvi-rose: I hurried with chapter four! YAY! I'm so proud I finally did as one of my reviewers asked! YAY! Thanks SO much for reviewing.  
  
Metrion: I know what you mean though, L/Y is great, but strangely enough I can see Yuffie and Riku together...they WOULD make cute couple. There aren't enough good L/Y but there REALLY isn't enough Y/R!! 


	5. How The Tables Turn

{Yuffie}  
  
"Construction is set to begin in less than 3 hours miss. You cannot stop it. I implore you both, please give up now." Yasui tried to talk Aerith and Persephone into unchaining themselves from the doors of the hotel. My pink- clad friend drew to her full height and glared at the man through angered emerald eyes.  
  
"We are not unchaining ourselves sir." She said firmly. This was one of those rare times Aerith was truly...well...pissed off. She reminded me of a beautiful rose: pretty to look at but not to touch. No one wanted to be on her List.  
  
"Until you agree to take your apartments elsewhere." Persephone added. She flipped her brown hair over her shoulder and put her free hand on her hip. Her cool glare matched that of a threatened maenad. The older businessman closed his eyes briefly and spoke as though the women were children.  
  
"If you aren't gone in one hour I will have you both forcibly removed and put in temporary custody. I don't understand this Aerith. You've always been so helpful around the town." He shook his head as though he was telling his daughter how disappointed he was in her grades.  
  
"This is our home." Aerith glared at him through narrowed eyes.  
  
"Its our home!" I spoke up from my place in the small faction of protesters behind him. A murmur of agreement rose from them. I shot them a thankful smile.  
  
"People I'm not the bad guy here. Think about it, more space and better living conditions...since the heartless reign this hotel has been a breeze away from collapsing." He tried to laugh his remark off as a joke. I narrowed my indigo eyes at him. Yasui saw the disapproval in Aerith and Persephone's eyes and sensed he was fighting a losing battle. He sobered considerably and began in a low voice, "Look. You can't be serious about wanting to save this rattrap. What is it you want? Money? I can knock off a few months rent at most but nothing more. I'm not the bad guy here." He repeated.  
  
The flower girl glowered at him. I even felt my feathers ruffle a bit. How dare he?! Persephone spoke before either of us had the chance. "We cannot be bought sir." She emphasized 'sir' acidly. The red faced man straightened and frowned heatedly at the women, then at us. I glared insolently right back at him.  
  
"Fine." He spat and spun on his heel. He walked away, obviously trying to maintain his dignity. His ego must've taken a blow after his oh-so-generous bribe had been so blatantly rejected. Good. Slick slimy jerk. I approached Aerith, still glaring at Yasui's back, and leaned against the wall next to her.  
  
"What a freak." I grumbled. The whole ordeal put me in a bad mood. And I had been in a great mood...ever since I woke up...next to Squall that is. Aerith agreed whole-heartedly. "He just knows he can't do anything. That's why he's being such an ass." I grinned evilly. I got a laugh out of my unnaturally somber friend and it perked me up significantly. "I'm going to get lunch, do you two want anything?" I asked. I would have joined the chaining but found myself much more useful as the errand girl. With my quick ninja-like grace I could get anywhere in the town within 5 minutes...and be back in 2.  
  
"Um. If you want to. I'm not starving or anything." Aerith answered with a grateful smile. Persephone agreed. I bounced away, heading for lunch at the café. I opened the door and hurried through the small tables back to the bar where a plump, redheaded waitress looked bored. She popped her gum and asked for my order.  
  
"Three burgers and three lemonades. Please." I ordered as I leaned against the bar. She nodded and turned to go into the kitchen.  
  
"That's a big order." A deep voice spoke behind me. Without even turning around I could recognize the voice of Squall.  
  
"What can I say? I work it off nicely doncha think?" I grinned as the older man took a seat next to me. Memories of the night before raced through my mind. I glanced at him shyly out of the corner of my eye and cleared my throat. "Um. Hey...Squall?"  
  
"Leon."  
  
"Yeah. Thanks for...thanks for last night." I chirped. I realized that I needed to sound like my normal perky self or Squall might get suspicious and think that I thought that last night meant more than it really did when it clearly didn't. Squall barely flinched.  
  
"Whatever. But its not happening again Yuffie." He said warningly. I nodded vigorously. However I felt a little hurt; I wasn't that bad was I?  
  
"Um but since...okay. Can you help me?" I stuttered, almost not believing I had the guts to even get the words out. He did say the other night he would help if I just asked. When he was quiet I felt the need to continue. "Its just that there are a lot of mayflies in my room – not that I'm scared- but I need some help killing them off. I swear its like they flock to my room." I giggled quietly. When he still didn't answer I tried a different approach. "Look, if you don't help I'll have to stay with you again because I am not sleeping with CLOUD and I am SO not staying with Haya." I knew that would work.  
  
He sighed and nodded. "Fine. I'll help you."  
  
"Promise?"  
  
"Yes Yuffie I promise." He shifted and changed the subject. "Where is Haya anyway?"  
  
"I haven't seen her since this morning...wherever she is she's fine. She's probably off pestering Cid about that gummy shop business." My order came in a brown bag and a cup holder made of recycled paper. I hopped off the stool and paid the waitress. "Thanks." I turned back to my partner. "I'll hold you to your promise Squall."  
  
"Leon."  
  
"Squall."  
  
"Leon."  
  
I growled exasperatedly and rolled my eyes. "You're impossible Squallie." The waitress (who had been politely ignoring the conversation) tried to hide her giggle behind a cough. Squall glared at me.  
  
"Leon. For the last time." He growled.  
  
"Yessir." I mocked him the whole way back to the hotel.  
  
{TBC}  
  
OMLORD! Shortest chapter yet! I so...rock! I'm sorry. I'm just really going through a BAD writers block on this story. I have an idea...I just...blah! Gah. Okay. So. I need to explain something about the next chapter. I'll have added TTCS officers. TTCS means Traverse Town Civilian Safety. Basically they are the police of Traverse Town. Yeah...kinda corny and cheesy and all that good stuff but...it is what it is.   
  
I found out something about Persephone! (Not the character, the actual Goddess) She was a cold, uncaring goddess of the underworld! I did not know she was like the queen of hell! I just thought she was a little girl that caused winter and summer! Hmm. I love Greek Mythology but I don't know much about it. Cool name though yeah? Per-sef-o-knee. I would so name my kid that but my friend said it was TOO weird. -- It sounds like Stephanie! That's not weird! Ahem...I'll quit rambling now and try to hurry with the next chapter.  
  
Review thanks chap 4:  
  
Deplora: EVERYONE needs a little squffie fluff!   
  
Purehikari: :D THANK YOU! I love reviews like this!  
  
Blueyedemon10: Sorry about my delay. I had to finish the other two stories...and it'll prolly be another long wait unless my muse gives me a break...I hope.  
  
Kiz2002: EVERYONE luvs the fluff! You gotta love the fluff. Specially L/Y fluff!   
  
BroncosCheer-literofpepsy: Hahaha. Sorry I couldn't update sooner. Thanks fer reviewing!  
  
Regno Cuore: Well I've been really blocked on this story and it started at that point. (quite obviously) I was desperate for anything to write and my teacher said something about photosynthesis and...well that's what came out! Who says biology isn't useful?! I was a smartass kid...and it was so fun to make sarcastic remarks at the 'grownups'. Of course...they never took you seriously and just thought you were funny. Grr. Yeah I try to make Squffiness but I never seem to manage it like the rest of ya'll do. Blah. I am fluff-impaired. 


	6. Arrested! and author's notes

Okay. I've decided after much argument (with myself of course) that I need to just put this story away for a while...my muse just refuses to cooperate with me and will give me NOTHING! I sat all day today with my story binder in my lap (I have a whole binder dedicated only to my fanfics. Now THAT'S dedication people! ) and tried to come up with anything. ANYTHING! I mentioned Allison in one of my stories once, and about her helping me through my fanfic crisis times. Today was one of those times. She's so good to me.   
  
I'll just put this away for a while, give you what I have written, and start on new things. Actually, before I go new, I'm gonna go through and redo a bunch of my first stories (they SUCKED) and then if the muse hits me with something I'll get this back on the circuit. Okay? I'm really sorry guys but I've just been desperate for anything since my last update and I am sooo stuck.  
  
Since author notes are not allowed, I'll give you what I have now and I'm sorry there's no squffie goodness. I'll try and get on this as soon as possible!  
  
{Yuffie}  
  
Whoa...What was going on? With a quick head count I determined there were four TTCS men. They were kind of hard to miss with their blue jackets and large white T-T-C-S letters reading across the back. The guns were a dead give away too. Yasui really had the balls to call the law on this little protest? What an-  
  
"Ma'am I'm going to have to ask you to move one more time." A comparatively small man (who I took to be the squad leader) stood in front of Persephone with his chest puffed out importantly. Persephone, who was nearly a head taller than him, glared at the officer. The protesters behind (being 'controlled' by the other three TTCS men) jeered at the leader, yelling curses and arguments. The leader, being the serious professional he was trying so obviously hard to be, ignored their comments.  
  
I started toward Aerith, sitting the food down on the wall. "Hold it." A smooth voice commanded. I ran into something solid and bounced back, rubbing my head. I looked up at an officer that I had somehow missed during my head count. He smirked at me. "We aren't allowing anyone near the hotel." I looked at the name stitched into his jacket. Dick. How incredibly fitting.  
  
"Well. Dick. That's my friend right there so if you'll excuse me-"I tried to side step him but he blocked me with his gun.  
  
"I said we aren't allowing people near the hotel." Okay. So apparently Dick though I was a weak little girl, unable to take care of myself therefore undeserving of his respect. I slipped my fingers around a particularly sharp shuriken of mine and pulled it out, prepared to wipe that self- righteous smirk off his face. Suddenly his whole demeanor changed. His smug expression turned to one of intimidation and he lowered his eyes. I stood up a little bit taller, feeling sort of proud of my bullying ability.  
  
And then I felt the presence of someone behind me. I turned to see Squall was actually the guy that scared Dick off. As glad as I was to see him, I still felt like he'd won yet another of my battles. Dick muttered something about being needed and hurried over to help his comrades. Squall sneered after his retreating back and muttered something about being a coward. Cloud walked up behind Squall and looked over at the officers. "What's going on?"  
  
"Apparently Yasui called in TTCS on the protest. Mainly Aerith and Persephone." I answered as I turned to watch how Aerith would handle herself. Persephone was telling the officer exactly how she felt in a not- so-nice manner. She finished her tirade with a pet name I figured was used most dearly for people she despised.  
  
The TTCS leader turned pinker than Aerith's dress and sputtered. "Why...I...you little...you're under arrest. Both of you!" He used the last bit of power he had left...the big guns.  
  
"Under what charges?!" Aerith asked, staring at him in disbelief. He had no chance to answer. Cloud ripped the man literally from where he stood and growled,  
  
"Don't. Touch. Her." The officer was obviously terrified of the blonde but was determined not to show it. He pulled himself as high as he could and stared Cloud in the eyes.  
  
"You'll unhand me sir!" Unhand? Good God these were the people 'protecting' us?  
  
"Cloud don't!" Aerith tired but couldn't reach her husband. Cloud glanced at her then back at the man he was holding by the collar.  
  
He threw him back in disgust and warned, "Don't ever touch her again."  
  
"Sir I'm afraid you're under arrest also for assault of an officer." One of the younger men in a TTCS uniform surprised Cloud from behind with a pair of handcuffs. Even I was afraid of Cloud's reaction. Instead he looked calmly at Aerith and Persephone and said,  
  
"Fine. But don't touch them."  
  
"I'm afraid I can't do that. I have my orders-"  
  
"You don't touch them-"Cloud interrupted fiercely. "Or I don't go quietly." He looked at Squall. I glanced back at him too, gasped, and unconsciously took a step away from him. He looked livid...I could see his hand resting o the hilt of the gunblade warningly and I prayed to God he wouldn't go crazy and use it. "Keep them untouched Leon." Cloud nodded in Aerith's direction and then pointed to me. "I expect bail Yuffie. Have Aerith give you the vault number; There should be enough in there." He turned his eyes onto Aerith. "Don't let them take you alright?" Aerith, of course, nodded.  
  
The officer led him away, accompanied by a second one just in case. Then the complaints started. "You can't do that!" One woman cried.  
  
"They aren't doing anything wrong!" Another one spoke up.  
  
"Clear off people." A blonde officer snapped, taking a step away from the crowd and toward Aerith. "Or you'll all be joining these three in confinement." He gestured with his hand to Persephone but was off on his calculations and accidentally slapped Aerith across the face. A hush fell over the people as the man realized his mistake. He turned a soft shade of pink, then white. Rage swelled within me and just ached to be unleashed. Squall acted on his and drew his gunblade swiftly. Within the blink of an eye he had the man against the wall, sharp edge of the blade pressed firmly across his neck.  
  
"You...are so lucky Cloud isn't here." He hissed and slammed the man against the wall again.  
  
"Hey!" A shot rang out above the angry yells and the window next to Squall's head shattered. Without thinking I whipped out my shurikens and chunked one at the offending officer. It was perfect aim and caught his wrist. The gun fell from his hand as blood streamed from the wound I'd inflicted. He cursed and yelled at the other officer to do something. The other officer...oh. Joy. Dickface. He saw me and smirked as he drew his weapon. What he didn't see what Aerith standing right next to him. She used her free hand to push away the gun and kicked him hard in the groin...and sent him to the ground.  
  
"Hah!" She laughed airily as he tried to catch his breath. I gave her a thumbs up. She was a better healer but anyone could admit her fighting skills weren't weak either.  
  
The fight stopped very suddenly as a single voice roared, "What in the hell is going on here?!" I turned sharply to see the mayor himself, Gray Kato. Oh...oh shit.  
  
{TBC}  
  
Again, I'm really sorry. I'll try and get back on this whenever I can! 


	7. Eyes On Me

_A/N: I wrote this forever ago, I just never typed it up._

**BEGIN**

"Shh. Haya's probably asleep." Aerith whispered.

"As any sane person would be at this hour." I muttered, stifling a yawn. "What hour is that anyway?" Squall's watch was closest so I grabbed his wrist to look. Almost midnight. "Well I'm going to bed. Don't wake me unless the house is on fire." I warned, heading down the hall. I heard Squall follow. I reached my room first and shut myself in before he passed. I heard his door close a few seconds later.

I kicked off my shoes, leaving them wherever they fell, and took off the rest of my clothes. I changed into boxers and an over-sized T-shirt, my choice PJs. I don't even remember getting into bed. I do remember feeling like I'd just closed my eyes for half a second when I opened them to see Haya standing at the edge of my bed. I jumped. "Jeez you scared me." I grumbled, annoyed and sat up. "Is the house on fire?"

"What?" Haya looked confused.

"Nothing forget it. What do you want?"

"Can I...sleep with you?" She asked.

That was the last thing I ever thought I'd hear her say. I guess I forgot how old she really was. "Why? Bad dream or something?" I asked, sliding over so she could get in.

"Sure." Haya replied, crawling in.

I wondered if anything had happened while we had been in jail. "You okay?" I was already falling back to sleep. I think Haya said yes but I wasn't sure. I slept a little longer this time, until about 4 AM. I woke to the feeling of a knee in my back. I looked around and realized I was hanging off the edge. Haya had taken over the bed, stretched out spread eagle. I sighed and slid to the floor, getting on my feet. I'd just have to sleep with Squall again. Oh fun. That is, if he would let me. I crept down the hall to his room and slipped in.

Thankfully he was completely out, snoring loudly. It used to bother me, but I really didn't care anymore. I missed it sometimes. At least he was really asleep. It would take a train wreck to wake him anymore. Used to, he slept lightly. Trained himself to wake up at the smallest sound to stay alert in case of heartless. After they left, it took a jug of ice water and a gunshot to wake him. I crawled under the covers, warm and comfortable. Squall didn't move. Finally totally comfortable I was able to sleep through the rest of the night.

**BREAK**

It had been morning for a while now, I could tell despite the lack of sunlight. There was no movement in the house, everyone else was probably asleep. That suited me fine. I started to roll over to go back to sleep when i noticed something was different. I felt a sort of pressure holding me in place. I looked underneath the blanket and stared in confusion at the heavy, tan arm draped over my stomach. The lightened pressure - surprisingly - woke Squall up. He rolled toward me; his grip tightened and held me close to him. His head rested on my shoulder.

"Um...hey?" I whispered. Part of me didn't want to end the moment, because that part of me liked it. The other part knew how wrong it was and how angry Squall would be if he found out I was awake during this situation.

His eyes opened slowly. They focused in on my face and widened. He jerked back, retracting his arm. "Yuffie?" His voice was hoarse from sleep.

"You were gettin kinda comfortable there." I teased, hiding my own embarrassment well. Even after sleeping in the same bed for years, he'd never done that consciously or unconsciously. "Maybe you're just lonely. For no good reason though, I mean c'mon, half the girls in this town would kill for a go at ya." I added. I expected this to piss him off but he didn't even acknowledge it.

"Leon. What're you doing here? I thought I told you-"

"Haya took over my bed." I interrupted, sitting up. Squall did the same, facing the opposite way. "You didn't know until now?" I asked. Squall didn't answer. I felt sort of weird all the sudden. I think it was his silence. He should've kicked me out by now, complete with evil glares and everything. Combine that with the already weird snuggle session and I was in a full-fledged X-files episode. "You sick or something? Why aren't you yelling yet?" I crawled over the bed next to him and peeked up at his face.

"Tired I guess." He replied quietly, his eyes closed.

Okay, something was up. "Are you worried about the hotel?" I asked. I seemed to have forgotten all about that until now. We'd lost the fight. The construction had started by now. I sobered up significantly. Poor Aerith. She'd gotten arrested trying to save the place. We all had. To go through all that and then turn out with nothing was the worst feeling.

"You want to train?" Squall asked suddenly. I forgot about my question, caught up in his. I looked at him as if he'd just asked me to marry him. Train? With him? He never asked me to do that anymore, not since the heartless were here.

"Seriously?" I asked. He nodded. "Then sure. Waterway in 10 minutes?"

"30. Breakfast first." He replied as he stood up, either unaware he was only in boxers or just didn't care. Usually he worried about stupid things like that. Personally I couldn't have cared less if he was naked. That image popped into my head and I felt me face turn red. Ack. Okay, so I wouldn't mind _that_ much...

"Make that lunch. Its nearly noon." I corrected, determined to take my mind off...that. Squall shrugged, slamming his bathroom door as he left. Ah, there was my Squallie. I sneaked into my room and grabbed some clothes - Haya as still asleep. I contemplated waking her up but thought better of it. The shower began running -Squall - and I heard Aerith and Cloud's door open. Things were moving again. I sighed and put a smile on my face. I'd have to take the day running.

**-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-**

"Yuck yuck _yuck _." My shoes squeaked on the bathroom tile as I pulled off my soaked clothes. "Now I remember why I don't train anymore. Nasty waterway..." I piled my clothes in the corner and turned on the shower. It sputtered a few times and finally came on full speed. I turned it on really hot and bit my lip to keep from crying out. I got used to it after a minute. Squall stayed behind, totally into the training. He was a difficult opponent, that was for sure. I washed off the few accidental cuts and slices I'd managed to receive during the fight, muttering a simple cure spell. They cleaned up within seconds. The sounds of the construction could be heard even in the shower, especially in the waterway.

It seemed like the louder the crashes became, the harder Squall fought. It seemed to push him further and further into a dimension of pissed off I'd certainly never had the displeasure of coming up against. The hot water was letting up. I needed to hurry. I could bet that Kato wouldn't be elected mayor again. And that Yasui character couldn't stick around much longer. Talk was how he'd thrown the town heroes in the clink. That'd make him one hated - "Son of a-." I murmured as the water took an icy turn. I tuned it off and grabbed a towel, drying off quickly. The strange sound of a piano stopped me. I hadn't really noticed it at first....Where was that music coming from? Cloud and Aerith were at work. Squall was training and Haya was supposed to be with Cid.

"Hello?" I called.. I wrapped my robe around me and opened the door. "Anyone home? Haya?" I poked my head out. The music was louder...and familiar. I looked in each room, nothing out of the ordinary...except her bed. It was a little off center. I investigated. "Haya? You in here?" I called. The music stopped. That's when I noticed the dark line behind her bed. I ran my finger over it and realized it was the edge of a door. I pulled her bed further from the wall and traced the line into a large square. A trap door...in the wall. "Haya!" I called a final time.

"Yuffie?" Another voice called. Squall.

"Squall?"

"Its Leon. Is Haya there?"

"I don't know. Haya?" there was no answer. "I guess not. Hey Squall come-"

"Its Leon. Have you seen Cloud? I need to talk to him." He interrupted me. I heard a clattering on the living room coffee table and sighed.

"No." I stomped out of Haya's room. "There's no one here. Except for a music playing ghostie." I told him as I passed, heading for the kitchen to get some goldfish. He didn't look at me until he reached the kitchen table and put down the mail.

'Whoa - hey - Yuffie, dammit put some clothes on." He looked at his feet and turned away. I looked own.

"What? Its a robe. You baby." I teased. Despite that I pulled it a little more securely around me ,just in case. He sure was acting strange.

"What uh -" He cleared his throat. "What music are you talking about?" He asked when he was finally able to look at me. I looked up from the bag of crunchies.

"Oh yeah! I heard some music so I went to check it out. There's a weird door thing in Haya's room did you know?" I rounded the counter and motioned for him to follow me. Just then Haya walked in. She looked between us, Squall damp form his frolic in the waterway and me in my bathrobe.

"I'm not like inter-"

"Shut up." I cut her off instead. "Where've you been?"

She looked at me strangely and answered as thought it was the most obvious thing in the world. "With Cid...where I said I'd be. The moogle's needed some help today." She smiled at us, stealing the bag from my hands.

I scowled at her. "Oh. Well did you know-"

"That we're having...dinner at 6...tonight?" Squall cut in, giving me a warning glance. I didn't understand. Haya answered hesitantly, picking up on the lie.

"I didn't. Thanks." She squinted at us again but just shook her head and left.

"Squall what's-"

"She was lying....I think she knows about the door in her room." He explained quietly.

"So?" I looked at him skeptically. "Are you absolutely sure you aren't sick or something? You're really being strange - and hey!" I realized something. He looked up. "You didn't correct me when I called you Squall!" It was always a joyous moment when I caught him messing up. He rolled his eyes.

"Whatever."

"Whatever." I mocked, popping the last handful of my fish in my mouth. The stench of sewer water hit me. "Ew. Go shower." I said, backing away.

He sniffed himself and flinched. "Fine. Leave the ghostie alone til I get out." He narrowed his eyes at me like he didn't trust me. Ouch.

"Okay whatever." I shrugged. I planned to check it out anyway. I mean what could be in there? The boogeyman? Right. I waited until I heard the shower running, then I headed for Haya's room. I changed in my room first on the way. I noticed Squall's door was open. Just glancing in, I saw a folded piece of paper lying next to his pants on the floor. Muwhaha. I tiptoed in (why I wasn't sure. No was around to see and/or hear me) and snatched the paper up. A secret love letter maybe? Oh the blackmail. I expected it to be something I could blackmail him with...but that wasn't the case.

I recognized the drawing. It was of me and Squall...signed by Yuffie Leonhart. Ah hell. Oh well, it was a long time ago right? He knew that. He couldn't possibly I still...but why would he carry it around? How long had he had it? Where had he found it? I dropped it back where I found it, wanting to get out of here as soon as possible. If Squall found out I was in here when he wasn't...and snooping through his tuff. Well my stuff that he was hiding from me.

Plus, I was anxious to check out that door in Haya's room. The bed was where I left it, the door still unopened. There was no latch or handle and no amount of pulling, digging, or hitting would open it. Finally, I got annoyed and kicked a hole in it. That worked. I reached though and felt around for a doorknob or something. There was a groove on the edge. I pushed on it and heard a clicking noise. It came open, and I realized how it should have opened. On the outside edge, where the door line was, there was a small latch that would have popped it open.

Huh. Well. I never was one for puzzles. Inside was a narrow passage way, big enough for someone to crawl through. I wondered if maybe this was a bad idea. Who knew where that lead. Eh, fear wasn't really my style. There was nothing I couldn't take on. I crawled in cautious, because I wasn't stupid, but quick. I came to a drop off at the end of the passage, a couple feet down. I jumped and landed in a large, dark room. My ghostie had been here - a small lamp was lit. The first thing I saw was the dark hallway on the other side of the room. Another place to explore. I wondered just how new this place was, if there was a secret basement. The boxes around were dusty, stashed potions and books. It was as cluttered as Merlin's.

"Hello? Anyone around?" I raised my voice, almost scared of the answer. I didn't get one. The piano music definitely came from this room - a grand piano, solid black and shiny enough to see yourself in, sat in the corner of the room. Beside it, old antiques, tins, dolls, and just plain junk sat collecting dust. Whose stuff was this? And who had been playing the piano? I approached it cautiously. If there was a ghostie I didn't want to infringe on its territory.

The piano brought back serious memories. My lessons were pretty much unforgettable since I was miserable though them all. It was a useless skill, I much preferred to be outside picking fights. I felt compelled to touch the keys. There was sheet music in front of me, a familiar song. I sat and reached out to play when I heard, "Yuffie?" I withdrew my hands. The voice sounded far away and a lot like...Squall. "Are you in there?" _Yes. Yes I am_. But I didn't say anything. "Yes you are. Can't follow simple directions." The passage carried his frustrated voice to me. I, in a brilliant flash of inspiration, hurried over to the dark shadows of the hallway and waited for him.

I'd jump out and scare him. It was funny, watching his large frame approaching the drop off. After a minute of maneuvering himself around, he jumped to the ground with a loud _thump_. "Damn it." He muttered, looking around the room. I could see the wheels in his head turning. "Yuffie?" He asked. His eyes fell on the piano. He stared just as I had, apparently trying to make sense of this room. Not to mention, how they got this stuff in here though a passage big enough for only one person to get through at one time. That must've been what this hallway was for. "Yuffie, I know you're in here. That hole in the door was a big clue." He said, heading for the piano.

"Yeah well it wouldn't open." I told him, staying hidden. His head swiveled in my direction.

"Did you find out where that lead?" He pointed to the hallway. I don't think he could see me though.

"Nope. Waited for you." I leaned against e wall then quickly stood up straight. Who knew what the wall had on it...or was made of?

"Touching." Squall muttered, fingering a white piano key. A light, wavering note filled the room.

"The ghostie's piano playing _Eyes On Me_. Now there's creepiness." I decided to stop being dramatic and come out in the open.

"There is no ghostie. Unless you count a precocious 8 year old as a ghostie." Haya. He plucked another note, not even bothering to look at me. "You remember _Eyes On Me_?"

"How to play or the song in general?" I stood next to him, looking down at it. His wet hair dripped onto my shoulder.

"Both." He answered with his eyes suddenly fixed on me.

"I think I remember how to play, but I've forgotten the words."

"Oh...well you forget a lot of stuff I guess." He muttered under his breath.

"I heard that! What's that supposed to mean?" I glared at him. Insult me...the big...meanie!

He rolled his eyes at me once again. "It didn't mean anything." He replied. Jeez what got him so grumpy all of a sudden? The lamp flickered, reminding us we were in fact in the middle of an unknown room with no way out...except the way we came in...which was 5 or 6 feet off the ground. Besides, the hallway was still unexplored.

"It doesn't matter. Can we just get out of here?" I asked, glancing down the hallway.

Squall followed my gaze. "You really want to go that way?" He ran a hand through his hair, de tangling it.

"What other choice do we have? Besides, its not like a monster lives here or anything." Ah bravery. Or pretend bravery anyway. Then again, if anything so much as breathed wrong in our direction, Squall would snap its neck before I would have the opportunity. Squall shrugged and head for the opening. What? No valiant soldier swearing to protect me with his life from the evil darkness? The least he could've done was-

"Come on Yuffie. There's nothing in here. And if there was, I wouldn't let it touch you."

I hid my smile. Okay. That'd work.

**_TBC_**

Okay. After like, months, I wrote. 6 months I think. _Holy _hell. Sorry. I still had no inspiration for this story, but its unfinished status was driving me **_CRAZY. _**((Can you tell I've just discovered the beautiful world of italics and bold print? AHAH!))

_Thanks to.....for reviewing:_

**Ayekami**: I'm sorry I offended you. You can have your opinion about Riku/Sora fics and I can have mine. Feel free to bash Yuffie/Squall fics in your own stories, and I'll continue to feel free to bash Riku/Sora. Nothing against those authors/readers/fans. Thanks for the review!

**Deplora**

**Sqully **- Hehe sorry about the wait!

**Dragonmaster**

**Kiz2002**

**Hotaru170**

**SetsunaMew**

**Braken-Fae**

**Krysmitsukai**

**Bom-Bom-Chika-Chika**

**immortalbreeze04**

**Tonkeli**


	8. You!

_A/N: Maggie is leaving us. We are not dog people any longer. We do not have the patience to train a puppy. We will get a cat, which will be easier to take care of and easier to housetrain and much less independent. We are cat people._

_And I just keep telling myself this to keep from being sad. I've grown attatched to the damn thing without meaning to. I hate her for doing that to me. I'll get over it soon. _

_-glares at puppy on lap- Yes. Just snore away without a care. Stupid dog._

_You must read this story I found, if you haven't already! Its a Rikku/Gippal and its absolutely the best one I've ever read. Dream a Little Dream. I adore it! GO READ! Well...read this first. _

z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z

He waited for me to catch up to him (I had to do a bit of feeling around. Giggle. Giggle. Eventually I found his arm.) "So you really think there's a ghost in here?" Squall, strangely enough was trying to make conversation. Possibly to keep my mind off the dark.

But I wasn't scared. I wasn't afraid of anything..."Can we not talk about the ghost?" What? I wasn't scared! There was just no point in talking about scary things!

"Hmm." Squall replied, all suspicious like. "Okay. Then lets talk about-" Then he paused. Apparently his word quota of the day was fulfilled? "Did you hear that?" His heavy footsteps stopped. Why oh why did he have to go and say something like that? I immediately started picturing all kinds of heartless and creatures and zombies and screaming, mangled people and a deranged killer slowly stalking towards us with a readied gun and a maniacal smile...

Or worse. Mayflies.

"A rat." Squall decided easily. His walking resumed and I hurried to catch up, my breathing slightly irregular. The small, flickering light at the beginning of our journey was getting smaller and smaller. Gulp. It was seriously pitch black and just getting worse. At any point, I could miss a turn and hit a wall or...hit something else.

"This could go on forever." I murmured, guided solely by the sound of Squall's steps. They were getting a little ahead...which was fine by me. He could go first.

"We'd turn around eventually." He answered. "And besides-" There was a sudden large crash and a loud curse. I stopped in my tracks for all of .5 seconds before rushing forward to 'see' what happened. And then there was a second crash - courtesy of me. I slammed into something really really hard.

"Ow ow ow OW !" I exclaimed, trying to uncross my eyes.

"There's a wall there." Squall's voice was muffled, like he was holding his nose.

"I kinda noticed. Are you okay?" I asked. I was a little banged up but fine otherwise. Squall on the other hand didn't sound so well. I reached out tentatively, trying to feel out my surroundings. I touched his chest and moved up from there to his face. His hand was over his mouth and nose.

"Yeah fine." He grumbled, jerking away from me. I let my hand drop to my side.

"A wall or a door?" I asked, glaring in vain at the solid object blocking our path. I felt around but there was no latch, just cold stone wall. I followed the stone with my hands, swallowing hard. I tired desperately not to think about monsters or spiders. The wall kept going. "Hey?" I called, testing to see how far I'd gone. Squall's voice wasn't too far away. "Its another hallway." I told him; my voice echoed through the dark corridor.

"Damn." He replied. I heard his shuffle toward me. "Well its got to end sometime. Lets go - carefully this time." He sniffled. Maybe he broke his nose or something. He touched my arm, trailing down to my hand and held it. "Follow me."

So I did. "Are you-"

"I'm fine Yuffie."

Fine. Be snippish. Meanie. We walked a lot slower than before, I think we were both hesitant. About 2 or 3 (yet eternal) minutes later we came to another wall - much easier this time -but it wasn't stone. "Its wooden!" I exclaimed, running my hands over it. I was beginning to sympathize with blind people. My eyes were tired from struggling to see what was around me - anything around me. I slid my hands up...and found a hole. "It slants." I realized aloud. I followed it down, until it met with the ground...then I figured out what it was. "Stairs!"

"Stairs?" Squall passed me, stumbling on something. I felt the smooth surface beyond the edge of the slant. It dropped onto another smooth surface.

"Yes! A way out!" I nearly shrieked with excitement.

"Easy." Squall warned as I rushed around to the bottom of it.

"Easy what?" I asked cockily as I hurtled up them. I was really ready to get out of this hole. My head slammed into the ceiling. "Owww!" I whined, adding a few other choice words.

"Told you." Squall muttered in his holier-than-thou way.

"Quiet Squallie." I snapped.

"Leon."

"What-the-hell-ever." I started hitting the wooden door above me. It was a trapdoor, I could tell because it bounced every time I hit it. "Get up here and help me!" I looked back at where Squall's voice had been seconds before.

"Just move." He mumbled, reaching my side. I flattened myself against the wall to let him do whatever he wanted. In one extra swift punch, his fist went through the wood. "Shit." He grumbled. Musta hurt. A shower of dust and splinters rained on us...but most important was the light. We were in 3rd district...still? It felt like we'd been in that tunnel forever and we hadn't even gone anywhere?

I felt around the newly-made hole, avoiding the sharp edges and found a latch on one of the edges. I pushed the wooden trapdoor up and poked my head through. We in the middle of the Twilight staircases, where the two met. Below us was the water fountain, casting bright neon lights through the district. "Well yee-haw!" I laughed as I climbed out of the hole. Squall followed with a whole lot less grace and a whole lot more cursing. "Thank you thank you thank you!" I sighed as I balanced on my stomach and looked at the stone ground below. I glanced back to see how Squall decided to celebrate...with a bloody fist. "Squall!" I slid off the edge of the wall and bounced over to him. "You really got beat up didn't you!" I looked down. The only loose clothing I had was my scarf. I took it off and started to wrap it around his hand in it.

He jerked away again. "Stop calling me Squall. stop trying to help. Just..leave me alone." He growled at me.

Used to it, I ignored him and snatched his hand back to me. "You stop being a baby and let me fix it. " I rivaled his growl. "We're going to get you a potion too. I'm out or I would offer you one of mine." He was either surprised that I'd pushed him back, or just too tired to care. "And there's a lot I don't forget Leon." I muttered darkly, carefully wrapping my now strained scarf around his fist. He tensed. I really hadn't meant to say that part out loud, but it was just as well.

I felt his eyes on me but didn't return the gaze. "Now you've gone and ruined it." He sighed. I think he meant my scarf.

"Ah. Doesn't mater. At all. You pretty much saved me down there." I shrugged as I finished my makeshift bandage and a awkward silence followed.

"So what do you remember? Much of Hollow Bastion?" He started us a conversation as we walked down the left staircase toward home. Twice in one day? Go Squallie!

"The end. Or close to it anyway. I remember you and Rinoa were joined at the lips...and Cloud and Aerith were practically the same as they are now...And I remember you trying to get me out of a tree one time." I almost enjoyed our walk down memory lane. But I remembered what memory would eventually pop up...

"You fell."

"Yeah...didn't break anything though so it didn't count." The first time we ever saw heartless was that day. The same day we had to leave home. Not for good at least. Thanks to Sora, we were able to return if only for a short time. "It wasn't home though." I said.

"What?" Squall looked over.

"Sorry. Thinking out loud." I smiled.

"You mean Hollow Bastion wasn't home anymore?"

"Yeah. I kinda got fond of this place. And the people in it. And the hotel! You think it's gone yet?" I gasped. I'd totally forgotten about the construction. He shrugged. Back to being such a big help. "I...remember that drawing I made..the one you have in your room." I wanted to look at him, see his reaction, but I couldn't take my eyes off my feet. "Why...where'd you find that anyway?" I changed my question abruptly.

"Cloud's box of all the old stuff from home." He answered hesitantly.

I nodded, twisting my fingers around each other nervously. "Oh. Yeah. Well. You know I was like...6 when I drew that. There's no more...Yuffie Leonhart pipe dreams. I promi-"

"Well I knew that. I-I never thought you still...it was a long time ago. You were young and..."

"Too young to understand."

"Exactly. Long time."

"Right." I folded my arms across my chest at the same time he did.

"But...you did?" He asked after another uncomfortable pause. We passed into First District.

"Well yeah...you were my babysitter and I was a kid. Those kinda crushes are normal." I shrugged, hoping that was true. Aerith had said that once, when she mentioned my being 'in love' with Cloud. That was a little after the Yuffie Leonhart episode. Still...Squall was bring really strange. With the way he'd been acting I almost thought..."Are you hiding something from me? If you are, that's really mean!" Squall seemed surprised at my sudden, straightforward question. That settled it. He was so hiding something. He stuttered a half ass denial, something Squall -Mr. Calm- never ever did. "You are too! What is it? You have a crush?" I asked. He glared and I grinned. "You DO!" I laughed gleefully. Squall looked as though he wanted to murder me. "On who!" I demanded, jumping up and down in front of him. My hands immediately went to my hips.

Squall put his hands over his eyes, looking down. I guess he figured someone would overhear. Hmm...oh well. "Hush Yuffie." He grumbled.

"Now come on! Just admit it! You'll feel 10 times better!" I craned my neck to stay in his field of vision. He tried to pass me but I held my ground. "I think I know who it is! Just tell me!"

"No Yuffie."

"Oh come on-"

"No there is not a crush!" He hissed quietly. "And if there was, you wouldn't know."

"Betcha I do."

"Trust me, you don't."

"I do too-wait we've done this part of the argument before. Let me speed this up a little. Yes there is! - No there isn't! - I know who it is! - No you don't so just shut up Yuffie! - I know who it iiiiiis-" I think it was about that time that Squall's patience snapped like a rubber band wrapped around Santa Claus's middle on Christmas day. It was too bad though; I'd really had Squall's monotone voice down perfectly.

He threw his good hand over my mouth and narrowed his eyes. I squeaked in surprise and indignation. "You." He said kinda harshly.

"Meh?" I asked, muffled thanks to his hand.

"You! The crush. It's you. Still think you knew?" He shook his head and removed his hand. I stood, mouth open and eyes wide. Yes of course I knew but...I didn't _know _know . There was a lot I wanted to ask and a lot I didn't want to know and a lot I wanted to say. Part of me was compelled to run far far away and never look back. Another part wanted to take him in my arms and confess my own hidden desire for him. The part of me that won was the part that made me stand paralyzed, gaping like a fish. Was he serious or kidding? He never joked around...was this his revenge on me for confronting/teasing him about his strange behavior? Strange behavior...it fit. He was serious! Holy Hell!

By the time my eyes focused and I was able to move, Squall had disappeared. I looked around in vain. He was no where. Immediately I took off toward the house.

_z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-_

_MUWHAHA! I meant for this to be the last chapter but I just decided to post this, since I wont get to post anything for a while again. Its like...an abnormally large bean. A bean...but bigger. I apologize for any grammar, spelling, semantics, or other miscellaneous errors I may have made._

_Reviewer thanks:_

_Shadowdagger420: She's not evil...exactly. Depends on what your definition of evil is..._

_Bracken-Fae_

_TheRathofSacae_

_Kiz2002_

_Zarrel's Darkside_

_immortalrhiannon_

_Sqully_

_ShadowKairi: HAHAH! I seriously lerp that. 'danced upon the wind' Your review was hilarious. Thank you!_

_Dragon Scales 13_

_tonkeli_

_mystic-angel1: Give me as many reveiws as you want! I lerp them all! When I wrote (from chapter 7 to the end) like forever ago, I had wrote that part. Then, I read all the new fics with that sort of thing in it and I meant to change it but...I didn't. Cause I'm weird like that. Nonsensical reviews rock my world!_

_Deplora: -sends telepathically- You will update HAT...did it work? I love Eyes on me...and did you know in the beginning of FFX-2, when you fight leblanc with Yuna, Yuna yells 'Hey! Eyes on me!" I laughed really hard cause I actually got it!_


	9. No More Mayflies

_A/N: I wouldn't expect much if I were you…_

_z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z_

"I _so_ knew!" I exclaim, kicking open his locked door. Ooh…on second thought maybe I shouldn't have done that. A chunk of the door frame hits the floor and skids a few feet away, nearly to Squall's feet.

Squall, who'd been in the process of unwrapping his hand, looks at the broken wood and then at me. He raises his eyebrows. "You always did like dramatic entrances…" He murmurs, standing up.

"Yeah? Well. What about you and that disappearing act you pulled! I could've like…fainted! Or something. Then what?"

"But you _so_ knew I was in love with you, right? Shouldn't have been _that_ big of a surprise." He smirks.

Okay, his cool attitude is really starting to chap my hide. So much so, I'm even starting to use _phrases_ like 'chap my hide'. Is this the way you're supposed to treat someone you'd just proclaimed your love for? Infuriating as always. I sigh. "Don't sigh at me." He says.

So I glare instead. I watch as he sits back down on his bed. Making sure his door is shut and re-locked, I take my place on the bed next to him. (I don't know why I locked the door, the missing chunk of door frame has left a peephole.) "You weren't supposed to do that. It was all wrong." I inform him. Again with the eyebrows.

"What's that?"

"You weren't supposed to make me mad!"

"Oh. I was supposed to…"

"Confess your feelings for me in a sincere, _gentle_ way! Not nearly choke me and then run off!" I smile when he starts to argue. "And-" I interrupt. "-pick me up and carry me off to Never-never Land." I add just because. Even _he_ almost laughed.

"I may have except you kept pressuring me with all your crush nonsense."

He has a point there. My mouth and I would have to have a talk. "So you really would have carried me off to Never-never Land?" I joke.

"Probably not. Something more along the lines of…" He doesn't finish his sentence. Instead he leans down, his face so close to mine I can actually tell how deep his scar is. And smell his breath. Ick. But I don't care, I'm just frozen to the spot. I can't move or think or breath…and I just know he is going to kiss me.

But then he closes his eyes and pulls away, smiling to himself. Yes. Actually smiling to himself. I giggle nervously, clasping my hands together. "Oh right...and ya know, who wants…that?" I flinch at the high pitch of my voice. I am such a teenager.

"Right. You wouldn't want that." Squall shrugs. Wrong wrong WRONG Squalliekins! But I don't say that. Instead I find another conversation topic. His hand is still gross and swollen.

"You'll need Aerith to cast a proper Cure on you." I observe.

He shakes his head. "I can do it." He replies.

Of course, I argue. "Don't even try. Aerith should take a look at it."

"I'm a grown man. I can handle minor scrapes. Besides, Aerith's got a lot on her mind right now. Its for the best we don't bother her."

That's right…the hotel. Somehow, it has slipped my mind. It doesn't feel quite so serious anymore. The day has been full of changes. The past few weeks have completely messed up our lives and yet…it's okay. It's a weird feeling, being so worried and upset over something and then having it turn out to be trivial.

"Yuffie?" Squall peers at me closely.

I shake my head. "Yes I'm fine. Don't even ask." There is a knock at the door. I stand and turn my back on him and head for the door. "Wait for Aerith." I order him over my shoulder. He mumbles something under his breath. I swear, sometimes he is the biggest kid. Speaking of kids, Haya's at the door. "Hey." I smile, opening the door all the way to let her in.

She glances at Squall and at his hand. "You didn't find the latch?" She sighs exasperatedly, and for a moment she resembles Aerith. Scary. There is a silent moment between the three of us that I can't figure out.

"You mean…in the door in 3rd district?" Squall asks, eyes narrowing once again.

Haya's brow furrows as her arms fold over her chest. I notice she is beginning to put on weight. Finally she is starting to look a little more than anorexic. "You broke that one too?" She exclaims and shakes her head.

"Hey wait! You know?" I ask.

Haya looks at me. "Who do you think moved my bed out of the way?" Well she didn't have to be so snippish! Sometimes I wonder if she really is 8 or simply Squall's twin sister trapped in an 8 year-olds body.

"So you were playing the piano?" Squall directs the question at Haya but is looking at me.

Haya shakes her head. "Nope. I heard the music one night and went to investigate. I dunno who it is." And suddenly she smiles, turning her gaze from me to Squall, and then back to me. "So?" She pokes me. I shrug. I don't know what she's 'so'ing about "So have you two ya know…admitted anything?"

Squall looks at his wounded hand again, his jaw clenched. I know how embarrassing it must be for him to have a kid knowing and pressuring his love life. That…doesn't sound familiar at all…right? Surely that is not how annoying I am…right?

"Yes." I answer, deciding to be honest. What other choice do I have? Haya looks mightily proud of herself though I'm not sure why. She doesn't know what we've admitted…unless she's some I don't know what else to say and Squall certainly isn't going to strike up a conversation any time soon. Haya doesn't seem to be in too big of a rush to say anything either. She's too busy wrapped up in being the master of our love lives. So that leaves us with a long silence.

Finally Haya clears her throat. "I'm gonna go uh…" She tells me quietly. I nod.

As soon as she leaves, Squall sighs. "She's…" He shakes his head and closes his mouth. I'm not sure what he was trying to say but I am betting it isn't nice. "Doesn't she have a family? One that's looking for her?" He decides that is a safe, non-evil route.

"Probably. When are we gonna mention it though? She can't live with us forever…you think that's what she thinks?" It has never occurred to me that we will have to tell Haya eventually to go home. It is sort of sad. I have grown used to her being here.

"She'll get homesick soon enough." Squall replied. He holds up his hand and mumbles a small healing spell. The cuts heal.

I scowl at him. "Fine. If you get an infection, don't complain to me." I warn. I know full well that even if he did get an infection, hell would freeze over before he'd even admit it. I kick off my shoes and let them hit the end of his bed. He gives me a look but doesn't say a word. "Oh…so now what?" I ask, falling back on the bed.

Squall sits facing the wall and I roll over so I am facing his back. He glances at me and twists around, facing me instead. "I guess I'll go check out the hotel. Find Aerith and Cloud." He replies, staring at nothing.

I sigh and poke his stomach. Good Lord it's hard as a rock! He spends way too much time training. Everything about him is sturdy. I would hate to run into him in a dark alley. Or have him seriously pissed at me. He'd never hit me or Aerith though. In fact, I've never seen him actually hit a woman. That's a good sign. Now I have seen him hit a man…and that's scary.

I've only seen him truly angry once and that was years ago when Ansem's heartless were attacking Hollow Bastion. One of them attacked Aerith. I remember watching from the window of the gummy ship as he furiously thrust his sword, which was at that time too big for him, into the little black monster's chest. Cloud. It, being a weak prototype then, dissolved into thin air. He had picked Aerith up and reached the gummy ship in time for take-off. When he figured out Cloud hadn't made it…that was the angriest I'd ever seen him. I'd even been scared of him for a couple days but it hadn't been long before I got over it.

"Um, that's not what I meant." I manage to pull away from my memories and focus on him. "I meant, what do we do now with us? I mean, you did just admit that you…you liked me." I can't bring myself to say 'love' out loud yet for some stupid reason.

He reaches for me and touches my hair briefly, awkwardly. "Oh. That. Well you never said anything about it, good or bad. What do you think?"

Wow. This is seriously freaky. I have got to be dreaming. All my other dreams are like this too, or at least the one's involving Squall, and I always end up waking up. "Oh I didn't realize you didn't know. I've kinda always had a thing for you Squall. I mean Leon." I correct for the first time in about EVER. I always refused to call him that, except when I was annoyed with him or making a point. It just doesn't fit him! Leon is an old, fat, bald man with a bad tie and a hideous hairpiece. Squall suits him so much better!

"Huh." Squall sorta smiles at me. It's pretty nice, the way things are unfolding. I hope I don't wake up anytime soon. This reality beats any dream I could…dream up.

"Well, we should go." I sigh and sit up, breaking eye contact after a brief near-heart attack. I wonder just how red my face is. "And maybe we shouldn't mention this to Aerith or Cloud for a while…" I make the mistake of looking at him. This time he really does kiss me, and hard too. Yeowch! He's seen me at my best and my worst, fought next to me, and pretty much watched over and protected me since the day we arrived in Traverse Town. We shouldn't be having these sort of feelings toward each other. Anyone would figure that the feelings would be more like family...but this feels natural. Like it's been a long time coming. Strange isn't a strong enough word. And yet…I can't seem to care. Maybe it's the set of lips pressed against mine clouding my mind…or whatever.

"That…may be a problem." An outside voice laughs. I recognize Aerith's voice right away. Squall and I part, and I notice he's looking a little embarrassed. I must look like I'm on cloud 10½ because that's how I feel. "Um, I just needed to ask about dinner. Is the café okay with everyone tonight?" She has this smile on her face that doesn't look like it's going away anytime soon. I think I do too.

"Yeah it's fine." Squall answers and stands up, running his hands through his hair.

"'Kay. And um, congratulations." She adds and closes the door before either of us can respond.

I snicker. "Congratulations." I repeat mockingly. And then I remember something. "Hey! Does this mean I get to sleep in here with you?!" I ask, excited.

He closes his eyes and rubbed his forehead. "Yeah. Sure." He's only pretending like it really matters. I can tell he doesn't care.

"Yes!" I yelp. "I _hate_ my room!" Whoo hoo! No more mayflies!

Squall chuckles and leans down to kiss me again, which of course, I welcome completely. Then he smiles and straightens again. "I kinda figured…"

_-TBC-_

_A/N: It is almost **over! **I am so excited to have finished it. I know that this wasn't very exciting and it seemed sort of…forced. Cause it was. I lost inspiration for this story after chapter 6. I'm sorry for any disappointments! And if you're wondering what happened to the hotel and what will happen to Haya, well, you'll see in the epilogue._

_The reason it's written in this tense is because my english teacher was talking about it and said that it was the hardest tense to write it. So I decided to try it again and she's right! It is hard to convert it to present tense!_

_Anyway, THANK you to my reviewers! I SO appreciate it! You have no idea. _

_Deplora_

_Bracken-Fae_

_MysticAngel1_

_Sqully_

_ShadowKairi_

_Tonkeli_

_Angeli Amori_

_Kiz2002_

_Prismatic Doll_

_Alassea2_

_Aoi-butterfly_


	10. Just Fine

A/N: Let's pretend TV exists in Yuffie's world. And a quick warning; some Squall OOCness. 

_z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z Epilogue z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z_

"Oh look at this! Days of our Bishies to be canceled!" I pointed out, poking the magazine heatedly. Days of our Bishies was my favorite soap opera!

Haya looked over from her own magazine uninterestedly. "Hmm." She nodded in response. She never was into the dramatic shows I loved to watch.

"Hmm? That's all you can say! Haya, Rikku is pregnant with Tidus's baby! What's he gonna do about his and Yuna's wedding? How's Rikku gonna hide the name of the father from Yuna _and_ Gippal? And what about Lulu? No one knows she _killed_ Wakka's brother, Chappu! How are they gonna resolve all of this in _one_ simple season?" I exclaimed, throwing the offending editorial onto the coffee table.

Haya looked at it quietly before turning back to her own article (which I saw was about the myth of the Space-Time Continuum…how like her). "Hopefully they'll all die in a freak gummy ship explosion." She replied breezily. I would have attacked her with a throw pillow if Squall hadn't first intervened. He sauntered over and sat himself down on the Shop's couch between us. He didn't say a word.

Haya stuck her tongue out at me behind his back. Naturally I returned the love. Squall, of course, only caught _me_ being childish and rolled his eyes. "What?" I pretended to sulk. "She did it first!" Hah! That's right, I had justification. And someone to put the blame on.

"Yes, but she's 9. You're 18." He replied.

Haya's head snapped up at the insult and glared daggers at him. "Hey!" she exclaimed resentfully.

I leaned forward so I could look at her clearly. "But you are 9." I pointed out innocently. If 185 pounds of muscle hadn't been sitting between us, I might have been scared of her retaliation.

"Yuffie." Squall gave me a look. Gave _me_ one of _my_ patented looks. But I didn't say anything. 185 pounds of muscle, remember? I grinned to myself. He acted all tough but he was just a great big softy. I'd known that all along, sure, but it had taken almost forever to get him to fully expose that vulnerability to me.

"All of you shut up. If you keep bickering like that you're gonna scare off all my customers." Cid grumbled, leaning against the glass counter to glare at us. Haya, loving to fight with anything and everything that could fight back, dramatically glanced around the empty shop a few times.

"Are you blind Gramps? There's nobody here."

"Don't call me Gramps." He barked. "And maybe there's nobody here because you three won't quit bickering."

"Or maybe its because your customers don't want to have to deal with a crotchety old-" The doors opened at that opportune moment. Haya silenced herself, hiding her grin behind her magazine. Cid straightened as though expecting a well-paying businessman to walk through the door, but quickly resumed his slumped position when he realized it was only Aerith.

I noticed something different about her right off. She was flushed, enthusiastic, excited…almost like me normally. "Haya, there you are! Come with me." She said without acknowledging the rest of us.

Haya looked weary. "Why?

"Just come on." Aerith exclaimed, springing forward to take her arm. "Someone's looking for you." It was unlike Aerith to be so cryptic. That was usually my area of expertise. Aerith was the one that told you what she got you for Christmas two weeks in advance. Secrets weren't her specialty.

Haya reluctantly followed, not at all as excited as I would have imagined her to be. It didn't take me more than a second to decide to follow, curiosity getting the better of me. I pulled Squall up with me, much to his disappointment, and forced him to follow me following Aerith. Cid looked thrilled to have his shop back to himself as we left.

We all trooped over to the Café where it seemed unusually busy. Once inside, Aerith turned to Squall and I and told us to sit. Reluctantly, I did. She then led Haya over to the bar, where an older gentleman sat silently. When he turned around, I gasped. The likeness was incredible. Haya looked just like him, same eyes, same nose, same chin, and same smile. The man's eyes widened when he saw her. I was sitting too far away to hear what he said, but I knew he'd said her name. They both moved at the same time, the man picking her up in one, swift motion while Haya attached herself to his neck and held on for dear life. Aerith immediately began crying.

"I'll be damned." Squall murmured to himself as he watched the two embrace. I couldn't have been happier for her. Well, that wasn't true. I was very happy for her, but I also knew that after a year of practically being her older sister she'd be going home. I liked the little snot. It wasn't fair to take her away now. "You look thrilled." Squall said quietly, sarcastically.

I looked over at him and simply whined. He picked up on the meaning and just patted my hand consolingly. By the look on his face, I knew he felt the same way.

_z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z_

It would be the last night we spent in this house. 10 months after the hotel was torn down, 10 months of watching the new apartments being built, 10 months of getting used to living here. It had been a long 10 months. I couldn't sleep at all. I was nervous about starting to move into the new place and even more nervous about living alone. That's right, the Great Ninja Yuffie was leaving Squall's side to grow up and have some independence! And I would be doing that right across the hall from said warrior.

The idea had been mine and everyone seemed to be supportive. Only Squall seemed apprehensive of letting me go. He'd never admit it, _never_, but I could tell because he kept trying to talk me out of it. I couldn't say that didn't make me feel special, but I also felt offended. Did he think I couldn't take care of myself? I was nearly an adult! I had to look out for myself now. He wouldn't always be around to protect/lord over me with his hovery-hoverness. _Not_ that I was complaining. He wasn't as bad as I made it sound, he was just…grr sometimes.

Or, his hesitation could be because he was in love with me and we'd been together forever, and _together_ together for almost a year. Or maybe that was the reason _I_ was hesitating. Anyway, it didn't help that Haya's father was sleeping in the guest room (formerly my room) ready to take her back home tomorrow. Damn it, I didn't want her to go!

I noticed she'd never really said anything about a family…mother, sibling, cousin, anything. Maybe it was a hint to her ever-secretive past. No one knew why she ran away in the first place and the more time that passed the less we had cared. She was one of us now, the poor girl. But she'd been so happy to see her father and seemed even happier to be going home with him that I didn't have the heart to ask her to stay. I couldn't even bring myself to say anything to her father, even though I found it incredibly suspicious that it had taken so long to show up. If he was so gung-ho about it, why'd it take him a year to find her?

I'd asked Aerith this quietly in the kitchen earlier and she'd simply shook her head. "There's a lot of worlds out there. Besides, it's not our place and not our battle."

What did that mean, 'not our battle'? Haya, though she had the habit of pissing me off to the point of strangling innocent kittens, was part of this freaked up, dysfunctional group I called my family. But it really wasn't my place to butt into their business?

Hmph. I knew I'd just have to take it like a good girl and say goodbye without so much as a peep. And that was what I would do tomorrow. For now I was content to stare at the dark ceiling quietly, rushing through my buzzing thoughts. It hadn't occurred to me that Squall wasn't snoring, therefore sleeping lightly or just not sleeping at all. I didn't think about it until he sat up, slowly at first. I watched, trying not to smile, as he looked at me carefully. He sighed softly and rubbed his face. It was too dark to see I was awake. Muwhaha! I felt him cautiously get out of bed, attempting to not 'wake me up'. I watched him all the way to the door, where he exited. I didn't think much about it, just figuring he was going to get a drink of water or go to the bathroom or something.

I breathed heavily, wishing my insomnia would take a break. I had enough to deal with and lack of sleep could only add to the impending mental breakdown. After a few minutes, I started to wonder where Squall had gone. Maybe he'd gone out for a walk. I kicked the covers off the bed, glancing at the clock as I did. 3:28 AM. Peachy.

I growled quietly to myself as I got to my feet and padded silently to the door. The hallway was dark and scary but I left the safety of the room anyway and headed for the living room. I had nearly walked out into the open when I realized there was someone sitting on the couch. I could see her outline thanks to the tiny night light under the window. It was then I also realized she was crying. I'd never seen Haya cry. Not once. She was like Squall when it came to showing emotion. My heart pretty much shattered.

I wanted to rush forward and hug her but a low, rough voice stopped me cold. "Haya?" It was Squall's voice. He was standing in the doorway between the kitchen and the front room, his frame also outlined by dim orange light. I stood right where I was, not moving an inch. The darkness of the hallway was keeping me hidden.

Haya's head snapped up. She sniffled quietly. "Leon." She replied. There was no snide comment or insult, just silence.

"Are you okay?" Squall whispered. I noticed he didn't move either. In fact, the three of us seemed rooted to our spots.

Haya was quiet for a few seconds. "I'm fine." She said finally, her voice cracking. She was about as convincing a liar as I was. I really wanted then to show myself, but I was curious to see how Squall would handle this. "I just couldn't sleep." She sniffled again.

Squall breathed heavily and shuffled over to her. His large form leaned down in front of her, sitting on his knees. That stance in itself was so out of character for Squall. "Haya…" He exhaled again, obviously at a loss for words.

Haya started crying again, burying her face in her hands. She looked so small and young…"I-I don't want to g-go." She hiccuped between sobs. My throat tightened. _Then stay…_ I expected him to leave her to herself or at least go find Aerith since he had serious emotional hang ups and hated to see anyone cry. Imagine my surprise when he instead pulled the young girl off the sofa and held her. I hadn't been this shocked since he'd first admitted he loved me. I slumped against the wall, watching the scene with my eyes wide. Haya continued crying into his shoulder, muffling the sound in an attempt to not wake anyone up. "I-I'm sorry."

Squall didn't say anything, which I thought was a good thing. He would have probably ruined the moment. After a long stretch of muted sniffling, Haya sat back, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. "Please don't say anything." She mumbled, lowering her head to let her hair cover her face.

"What?" Squall seemed genuinely confused.

"Don't say anything about me wanting to stay. To me or anyone else okay? I'm leaving tomorrow and that's that." Her sigh was shaky and unsure. She clapped her hands against her bare knees decidedly and looked at him. "Or about the whole _crying_ thing." She added with disgust.

Squall stood with a quiet groan. "Fine." He answered, shrugging. He hesitantly reached out and touched the young girl's shoulder. "I'll miss you kid." He said finally before turning to leave. He cleared his throat then and headed toward me. I realized I was about to be found out so I pressed myself against the wall and hoped he wouldn't see me. It was a stretch but it was late and I wasn't exactly all there. He passed me without looking at me or anything. Had he really not seen me? He must've been upset…or half asleep. He made a detour into the bathroom, much to my fortune. Haya started to cry as soon as he disappeared and I was torn between showing myself or getting back to bed.

I chose getting back to bed. Haya didn't want anyone to know about her weakness. It had to be hard enough knowing that Squall had caught her. I hurried back to our room and crawled into bed, re-messing up the blankets to make it seem as though I'd never left. I steadied my breathing just as he came in.

I pulled it off. He thought I was still asleep, unaware of the recent revelations between him and Haya. He sighed, pulling the blankets to his waist and fluffing his pillow back up. I stayed quiet and still, heart beating rapidly in my chest. He'd be asleep soon; it didn't take him long. Then I could return to my thoughts in peace. Any hopes of sleep were squashed.

Then I felt him turn over, his chest pressing against my back. He put his arm around my waist and pulled me closer to him. "What are we going to do about her?" He whispered into my ear.

I smirked. I _knew_ I wasn't going to get away with the spyness. "Aerith said it wasn't our business." I whispered back, turning my face into the pillow. Squall chewed on that silently for a minute before accepting it as an answer.

He placed a kiss in my hair and rolled back over to his side, his arm sliding from my waist much to my dismay. "Night." He mumbled.

"Night." I repeated, actually closing my eyes. I could try to sleep…at least…and maybe deal with all this tomorrow…

_z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z_

I let the scarf fall to the floor, watching as it glided down to the carpet to land in a yellow heap. I didn't like that, so I bent down to stretch it out a little more, covering more clean flooring. When I was satisfied with that I took the next item of clothing out of my box of clothes, a pair of clean, tan shorts, and threw them a few feet away. They landed perfectly on the backside, as though carelessly tossed. It took a lot of work to be flawlessly cluttered.

Now that I had my own place, everything set the way I wanted, I could do whatever I pleased in here. I could…I could do laps across the living room naked singing Row Row Row Your Boat in Spanish if I chose. I'd have to lock the door first…and put a sign on the door saying '_Really_ do not disturb' but the point was it could be done! And there would be no Aerith to complain at me for not picking up my clothes and no Cloud griping at me for not locking the door at night and no Squall to…to be Squall.

Now, there were cons to this new arrangement. I was alone. There _would_ be no Squall to protect me from nightmares or creepy, dark shadows. Then again, I was 18 and totally an adult now. It was time to grow up. Unfortunately. Anyway, the small apartment was beginning to look like me in that sort of chaotic, uncontrollable sort of way. I couldn't lie and say I totally hated the apartments (and wished it would crumble to tiny kickable pebbles on top of Yasui, turning _him_ into tiny kickable pebbles)…because the elevator was _soooo_ fun.

But I missed the Hotel and the old times it held. The heartless ordeal, meeting Sora, meeting Haya, sharing the bed with Squall and the good old hostility that that irrefutably brought…I liked the way my life was now though. Squall was a great boyfriend, quiet and a little out there at times, but he was oh-so-very attractive and he was a _phenomenal_ kisser. And I loved him. Even his stupid little quirks (case in point – the 'it's Leon' saga) added to his bizarre charm.

As for Miss Haya. She left a few days ago. It was a sad send-off, especially for me. Squall had just stood back silently, not saying much of anything and awkwardly hugging Haya when it was his turn. Aerith cried and Cloud was as still and quiet as Squall. I didn't cry once, and I was very proud of myself for that, but I wanted to. I could tell Haya was just as unhappy as I was, but she hid it much better than I did behind big grins and witty good byes. She promised to come visit…we all knew how that always turned out.

A shadow in the corner caught my eye. I tensed, immobilizing myself so as not to scare whatever was floating there. Slowly….slowly I turned my head…and screamed. I lunged for the safety of the couch and watched the hovering menace's every flutter. Not soon after, Squall came hurtling through the front door.

"Yuffie!" He slid to a stop when he saw her perched on the sofa. He followed her wide-eyed gaze to the corner to find…"Are you kidding me?"

"Less talky, more killy." I pulled off one of my shoes and tossed it to Squall, who caught it with no trouble. He obeyed, squashing the minuscule mayfly to the wall and muttering to himself about the ridiculousness of my fears. I didn't care what he said as long as the winged spawn of Satan was dead. "They've got it out for me, ya know."

"I think you're insane."

I shrugged and jumped off the couch and bounced unevenly over to him to retrieve my shoe. "Yeah, but they're still out for me. And thanks." I stood on tiptop to give him a quick, appreciative kiss. He rolled his eyes but nodded. He enjoyed the attention whether we would admit it or not.

"I don't know how you're gonna live by yourself if you expect me to come over and kill every crawling thing you find." He grumbled. So what if we were dating and it didn't matter that we were in love. He was still a great big grouch.

"Ya know," I grinned, patting his shoulder. "I think I'm gonna be just fine."

_z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z_

_The End_

_z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z_

_It's over. Excuse me while I go do my dance of extreme happiness. This has been at the back of my mind, just pestering my to finish. I hate to leave things unfinished. So now that this is over (I apologize for the absolute crappiness of the ending) I will go work on Treacherous Lovelies some more. It's almost done too. _

_Thank you to ALL my reviewers!_

_Reviewer thanks for chapter 9:_

_Bloodcrested_

_Aoi-Butterfly: Nobody played the piano…_

_ShadowKairi_

_Kirakayano_

_Kiz2002_

_Reviewlord_

_Prismatic Doll_

_IndigoBloodshed_

_NeonRaine_

_Sqully_

_Bracken-Fae_

_Deplora: Nobody played the piano…_

_Thank you all so very much. I'm sorry about the lack of inspiration in this story. Thanks for stickin' with me!_


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